President Bola Tinubu has overridden Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, by transferring the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to the presidency.
Although it has not been determined which office within the presidency the bureau would now report to, Chronicle NG gathered that the president has approved its transfer from the Ministry of Aviation to the presidency.
The president’s assent effectively ends months of debate over where the bureau should be located for maximum functioning.
While stakeholders and lawmakers urged that the bureau should be relocated out of the aviation ministry to ensure operational independence, Keyamo demanded that it stay within the ministry.
Chronicle NG on Saturday obtained a document conveying the presidential approval for the relocation of the bureau.
According to the document, Tinubu agreed that the NSIB would perform its duties more effectively while reporting directly to the presidency.
In a letter dated November 3, 2025, also obtained by Chronicle NG, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Usman, had earlier advised Tinubu to move the bureau out of the aviation ministry, noting that the move aligns with global best practices.
The presidential aide referred to accident-investigating agencies such as the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States, which reports directly to the highest level of government.
The letter partly read, “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.
“This is also at odds with global best practice, where leading accident investigation bodies, such as the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States, operate as autonomous agencies directly reporting to the highest level of government. This structure ensures independence, credibility, and efficiency in accident investigation processes.
“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.”
Tinubu responded with another letter dated March 5, 2026, through his private secretary, Damilola Aderemi, conveying the president’s approval of Usman’s request, indicating the end of the bureau’s operations under the Ministry of Aviation.
Last year, the federal government, with the backing of the National Assembly, might strip the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau of its subordination to the aviation ministry.
Although the Ministry of Aviation desired that the accident investigation agency remain within its jurisdiction, sources in the ministries of transportation and marine and blue economy stated that stakeholders in the transportation sector preferred that the agency be moved to the presidency, under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The NSIB, which is in charge of investigating incidents on land, in water, and in the air, has long requested increased money and operational freedom to improve its service delivery.
In June 2025, the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development challenged the National Assembly’s intentions to transfer the agency from the ministry to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The ministry stated its viewpoint at a public hearing in Abuja organized by the joint committee on special duties and aviation.
The ministry’s then-Permanent Secretary, Abubakar Kana, encouraged lawmakers to keep the bureau under the aviation ministry while enhancing its operational framework to ensure functional independence.
“I recommend that the National Assembly and its relevant stakeholders please retain the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau within the Federal Ministry of Aviation,” Kana told the committee.
