Tinubu Overrides Keyamo, Moves NSIB Under Presidential Supervision

President Bola Tinubu has directed that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) be relocated from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to the Presidency.

The decision, confirmed in a presidential approval published by Saturday Punch, ends months of debate over the bureau’s institutional placement. Details on the specific office within the Presidency to which the bureau will now report have not been released.

The relocation follows advice from Hadiza 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 recommended the move, citing global practices where key accident investigation agencies operate independently at the highest government level. She referenced the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States as a model for reporting directly to the government rather than a sectoral ministry.

According to the letter, keeping the NSIB under the Ministry of Aviation limited its ability to investigate accidents across air, marine, rail, and tracked vehicle transport. The proposed repositioning is expected to enhance the bureau’s operational independence, transparency, and credibility.

President Tinubu approved the move through his Private Secretary, Damilola Aderemi, in a letter dated March 5, 2026. The approval effectively removes the NSIB from aviation ministry oversight, granting it direct access to the Presidency.

The bureau has long advocated for greater funding and autonomy to improve its accident investigation services. Stakeholders across the transport sector had argued for its relocation, while the Ministry of Aviation, led by Festus Keyamo, had resisted the move, preferring to retain the bureau under its supervision.

Sources in the Ministries of Transportation and Marine and Blue Economy noted that transport sector stakeholders supported positioning the NSIB under the Presidency, possibly reporting through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The NSIB investigates accidents on land, water, and in the air. Last year, the Federal Ministry of Aviation publicly opposed the National Assembly’s proposals to move the bureau, citing a need to strengthen operational frameworks while keeping it within the ministry.

With the presidential approval, the NSIB’s operations under the Ministry of Aviation have formally ended, aligning Nigeria’s accident investigation framework with international standards for independence and oversight.