President Bola Tinubu has approved the relocation of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) from the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to the Presidency, effectively overruling the position of Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo who had insisted the agency remained under the ministry.
Documents obtained stated that the presidential directive followed months of disagreements among government officials and stakeholders over the appropriate institutional placement of the accident investigation agency.
The approval signals the end of the NSIB’s operational control by the aviation ministry and is expected to grant the bureau greater autonomy in carrying out its mandate of investigating transportation accidents across Nigeria.
Although the Presidency has not formally announced which specific office will supervise the bureau, earlier recommendations suggested it could report through the office of the national security adviser.
In a letter dated November 3, 2025, the president’s Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Usman, advised Tinubu to relocate the agency from the aviation ministry, arguing that the current structure limits its effectiveness.
Usman noted that the NSIB’s mandate extends beyond aviation to include investigations into marine, rail and other transportation accidents, making its placement under a single-sector ministry inappropriate.
She also cited international standards, referencing the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States, which operates as an independent body reporting directly to the highest levels of government.
According to the advisory, repositioning the bureau under the Presidency would strengthen transparency, credibility and operational independence in accident investigations.
Responding to the recommendation, Tinubu approved the relocation in a letter dated March 5, 2026, which was conveyed through his private secretary, Damilola Aderemi.
The decision formally ends the bureau’s administrative oversight by the aviation ministry.
The move comes after strong opposition from the aviation ministry during a public hearing in June 2025, organised by the National Assembly’s joint committees on aviation and special duties.
At the hearing, the ministry, represented by then Permanent Secretary, Abubakar Kana, urged lawmakers to retain the bureau under its supervision while strengthening its operational independence within the ministry.
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However, several stakeholders in the transportation sector argued that keeping the bureau under the aviation ministry undermined its independence, especially since it is responsible for investigating accidents across multiple transport sectors.
Sources within the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy had earlier backed plans to move the agency out of the aviation ministry, suggesting it be placed directly under the Presidency or the office of the secretary to the government of the federation.
The NSIB has repeatedly called for greater funding and operational independence, saying these are necessary to strengthen its capacity to conduct impartial investigations and improve transportation safety across the country.
