President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the transfer of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to the Presidency, ending a long-running debate over the agency’s institutional control.
The bureau, which is responsible for investigating accidents across Nigeria’s air, marine and rail transport systems, had previously operated under the supervision of the aviation ministry headed by Festus Keyamo.
Presidential documents obtained by ENigeria Newspaper on Friday indicate that the decision followed recommendations from Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit.
In a letter dated November 3, 2025, Usman advised that the bureau’s effectiveness was being constrained by its placement under the aviation ministry despite its broader responsibility for investigating transportation accidents beyond the aviation sector.
She argued that relocating the agency would align Nigeria with international standards for accident investigation bodies, which typically operate independently of sector-specific regulators.
“Mr President is invited to note that the Bureau’s effectiveness is currently limited by its placement under the Ministry of Aviation as outlined in Section 66, Page A1136 of the Establishment Act. This structure hampers the NSIB’s ability to fully execute its mandate due to the limitation of placing it under the supervision of the Ministry of Aviation when it has oversight not only over air safety accident investigations but also marine, rail and tracked vehicle accidents in Nigeria”, the letter partly reads.
“The proposed repositioning of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau to report to the Presidency will allow the necessary enforcement of safety regulations across all transportation sectors and remove it from the current limited sectoral ministerial oversight. It will improve transparency, accountability and public trust in investigative findings. This restructuring supports Your Excellency’s Renewed Hope Agenda of improved governance for effective service delivery.
“In light of the above considerations, Mr President is therefore invited to consider that the NSIB be repositioned as an agency reporting to the Presidency through the Office of the National Security Adviser. This strategic transition will rectify the current limitation of placing it under the supervision of the Ministry of Aviation when it has oversight not only over air safety accident investigations but also marine, rail and tracked vehicle accidents in Nigeria”, the statement adds.
Tinubu approved the recommendation through his private secretary, Damilola Aderemi, in a letter dated March 5, 2026, formally ending the bureau’s reporting relationship with the aviation ministry.
The development resolves months of disagreement among policymakers and transport sector stakeholders over the most appropriate institutional home for the agency.
While the aviation ministry had previously argued that the bureau should remain under its supervision, several stakeholders across the transport sector had advocated moving the agency to the Presidency to guarantee greater operational independence.
