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The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has denied reports alleging that ₦7.58 billion was wasted on Category III Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) installations at Lagos and Abuja airports.
In a statement from the agency’s director, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, NAMA clarified that the contract for both installations was ₦1.188 billion and that the subsequent downgrade to Category II was a safety decision, not procurement failure.
A media report had claimed the federal government spent ₦7.58 billion on CAT III ILS equipment for Abuja and Lagos airports.
However, NAMA asserts that the actual approved contract for supplying and installing CAT III ILS and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) for Lagos and Abuja was ₦1,188,139,913.90.
The contract was awarded to Alolis Geo-Science Nigeria Limited, representing Leonardo SPA (formerly Selex), and received the necessary approvals from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
According to NAMA, the ₦7.58 billion figure originated from a 2019 newspaper estimate that assumed approximately US$3 million per runway and then extrapolated across seven proposed airport locations.
“It was neither the approved contract sum for Lagos and Abuja nor evidence of expenditure by NAMA on the two installations,” NAMA stated, adding that the report “cited no contract, payment certificate, appropriation, audit finding or other official record” to substantiate the higher figure.
The agency explained that the procurement was specifically for CAT III-capable ILS/DME ground equipment not just an ILS antenna. An ILS system incorporates a localizer for lateral guidance and a glide path for vertical guidance, making the localizer an integral component that cannot be separated or presented as an omitted facility.
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NAMA also said that installing CAT III-capable equipment does not automatically enable CAT III operations. The agency pointed out that the responsibility for airfield ground lighting and airport power falls with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), while NAMA provides navigation and air traffic services infrastructure.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regulates and approves operations, and meteorological services and aircraft capabilities are equally essential.
NAMA said that following the installation of the CAT III system, pilots reported serious operational problems as the equipment could take aircraft off course during final approach and could completely fail altogether. These issues led international airlines to abandon Runway 18R in favor of Runway 18L. The problems extended beyond the ILS itself. The associated lighting facilities required for CAT III operation were unavailable, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had not provided necessary meteorological input.
In response, NAMA said it engaged relevant stakeholders and, following consultation and approval by the supervising Ministryy decided that the equipment would be replaced with CAT II capability pending the provision of complementary facilities required for full CAT III operations. The system was then recalibrated and passed requisite checks.
According to NAMA, the problems with the CAT III system persisted from installation. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) raised safety concerns about the equipment’s tendency to transmit misleading parameters to aircraft.
“The truth of the matter is that we never had CAT III in Nigeria; it was merely a name, as the equipment was downgraded to CAT II to align with the categories of other complementary facilities such as runway lighting, aircraft compliance with CAT III, trained crew on CAT III, stable power, and so on,” NAMA stated.
NAMA also stated that the Lagos Runway 18R and Abuja Runway 22 facilities were “subsequently commissioned, certified and promulgated for operation in February 2020 following necessary realignment, recalibration and validation.”
