The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, has launched a fresh push to tackle prohibitive air travel costs, strengthen regulatory oversight and drive sweeping aviation reforms across West Africa with the inauguration of the National Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee (NATEOC).
The committee, inaugurated at the corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in Abuja on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, is expected to spearhead Nigeria’s implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) policy on aviation charges, taxes and fees.
The move signals a renewed effort to address the economic barriers confronting air travellers and operators while improving transparency, promoting fair competition and strengthening oversight of the regional aviation market.
Najomo, who was represented at the ceremony by the Director of Air Transport Regulation, Mrs Olayinka Babaoye-Iriobe, charged the committee to translate regional aviation commitments into concrete, coordinated and measurable national actions.
He said NATEOC would serve as Nigeria’s primary coordinating platform for assessing compliance with regional obligations, identifying implementation gaps, recommending policy adjustments and monitoring progress towards fulfilling the country’s commitments.
The committee is also expected to develop an implementation roadmap, review existing legislative and regulatory measures, facilitate the official publication of relevant provisions in the national gazette and collaborate with regional institutions to ensure effective execution.
At the heart of the initiative is the ECOWAS Supplementary Act A/SA.2/12/24, adopted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 66th Ordinary Session in Abuja on December 15, 2024.
The regional instrument establishes a common policy framework for aviation charges, taxes and fees across member states, with the broader objective of reducing excessive air travel costs, improving transparency in aviation services, strengthening economic regulation and encouraging healthy competition.
Najomo stressed that the committee’s responsibility goes beyond policy formulation, noting that the provisions of the Supplementary Act must be converted into practical measures in strict conformity with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Doc 9082.
He also emphasised the need for constructive engagement with critical industry stakeholders, particularly domestic airline operators and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to ensure that the reforms reflect operational realities and deliver tangible results.
The involvement of industry players is expected to be crucial to identifying regulatory bottlenecks, improving policy coordination and ensuring that the implementation process does not undermine the sustainability of airlines operating in Nigeria.
Also speaking at the inauguration, the Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary, Mrs Mary Tufano-Eche, warned that the committee must thoroughly scrutinise the legal and legislative frameworks underpinning the Supplementary Act.
She urged members to ensure that the regional instrument is seamlessly integrated into Nigeria’s aviation regulatory framework without creating legal conflicts with existing domestic regulations or established ICAO documents.
The warning underscores the importance of legal clarity and regulatory consistency in implementing reforms that cut across aviation charges, taxation and economic oversight.
NATEOC is a multi-agency committee comprising representatives of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and Federal Ministry of Finance.
The committee’s work is expected to shape Nigeria’s response to the ECOWAS aviation reform agenda, particularly efforts to create a more transparent, competitive and economically sustainable air transport market across the region.
