President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the repositioning of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to report directly to the Presidency, a move aimed at strengthening oversight of accident investigations across multiple sectors.
The development comes eight months after the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development argued for the agency to remain under its supervision. Prior to the latest directive, the bureau reported to the President through the aviation minister.
The NSIB, formerly known as the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), is responsible for investigating accidents across Nigeria’s aviation, rail, marine and road transport sectors. The agency is currently headed by its Director-General, Alex Badeh Jr..
The presidency’s decision was conveyed through a State House correspondence dated March 5, 2026, which was transmitted to the aviation ministry on March 11 for immediate implementation.
As part of the directive, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation has been instructed to amend the NSIB Establishment Act 2022 to reflect the new reporting structure and forward the proposed amendments to the National Assembly of Nigeria for legislative approval.
The proposed change follows earlier debates over the most appropriate supervisory structure for the bureau. In July 2025, the ministry’s former Permanent Secretary, Ibrahim Kana, cautioned against transferring oversight of the agency to the Presidency.
Speaking during a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives of Nigeria Joint Committees on Aviation and Special Duties at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Kana warned that such a move could lead to the politicisation of investigations, weaken accountability mechanisms and disrupt policy coordination within the aviation sector.
However, some aviation experts supported the proposal, arguing that the bureau’s responsibilities extend beyond aviation and involve multiple sectors and ministries.
Among them was the President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Ademola Onitiju, a retired Air Commodore, who maintained that placing the bureau under the Presidency would enhance coordination.
According to him, the cross-sector nature of the agency’s work makes direct presidential oversight more effective, while also reinforcing the independence required for credible accident investigations across Nigeria’s transport systems.
