Comfort Isaac
The Director General, DG, of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo has raised the alarm over the rising cases of fraudulent activities in the aviation industry in Nigeria.
He noted that such directly affects aviation safety, economic regulation and investor confidence.
The DG who noted this when he led a delegation of his management team on a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede in his office urged the Commission to intervene to address the issue.
Najomo identified high-value transactions such as aircraft purchases, leasing arrangements, foreign maintenance contracts and procurement of safety infrastructures as areas vulnerable to fraud as well as money laundering.
He raised concerns over the non-remittance of the mandatory five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) by some commercial airlines, stating that such non-compliance occasions shortfalls in NCAA’s internally generated revenue needed for adequate safety oversight
He also pointed to NCAA’s battles against illegal charter operations, disguised as private flights, which he said, often involved unregulated financial flows, noting that EFCC’s financial intelligence capabilities were needful in unmasking such fraudulent activities.
His words, “Non-remittance weakens NCAA’s ability to fund safety oversight and operational efficiency and may require EFCC’s intervention to investigate cases where deliberate withholding, diversion or misappropriation of these funds is suspected. Some operators deliberately under-report revenues, manipulate ticketing systems or divert funds, thereby sabotaging the NCAA’s ability to regulate effectively. In such cases, EFCC’s intervention is necessary,.”
He, therefore harped on the need for collaboration with the anti-graft agency in the areas of training of NCAA staff in detection of financial red flags, joint sensitization workshops and intelligence sharing.
In response, Olukoyede was thankful for the visit and pledged the Commission’s full involvement in the sanitization of the aviation industry.
He charged the NCAA to strengthen its surveillance of the private wing of airports, which he described as a hotbed for illicit financial activities and assured that the Commission was ready to work closely with the Authority on issues of non-remittance by airlines, illicit financial flows, and fraudulent ticketing systems, which he said was often exploited by foreign airlines.
The EFCC boss further expressed the Commission’s willingness to delve more into the aviation sector, disclosing that the EFCC will designate senior officers to work with the NCAA in finalizing an MoU on joint investigations, intelligence exchange and compliance monitoring. He added that EFCC would support NCAA in safeguarding the Nigerian aviation sector from fraud and economic sabotage.
