Questions have emerged over the status of the appointment of the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) insisting that the arrangement is not a secondment but a part-time interim international appointment.
The issue has drawn attention because documents obtained by NigerianFLIGHTDECK indicate that Engr. Henry Nwanyanwu Aniagolu continued to perform official responsibilities at the NSIB after assuming office as Commissioner of the regional accident investigation agency. Consequently, the development has triggered debate over the application of Nigeria’s Public Service Rules on secondment and the legal framework governing appointments to international aviation organisations.
Publicly available information shows that Engr. Aniagolu was appointed Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of BAGAIA following the expiration of his predecessor’s tenure. His appointment attracted attention because BAGAIA serves as the Regional Accident Investigation Organisation for member states of the Banjul Accord Group, promoting cooperation in aircraft accident and incident investigations across West Africa.
However, an internal NSIB memorandum obtained by the portal shows that Engr. Aniagolu signed an official document in his capacity as General Manager, Transport Investigation after assuming the BAGAIA appointment. The memorandum was subsequently approved by the Director-General of the Bureau, suggesting that he continued to discharge official responsibilities within the agency after taking up the regional role.
The development immediately prompted questions over whether the arrangement amounted to a secondment under Nigeria’s Public Service Rules. It also raised issues about whether an officer appointed to head an international organisation could simultaneously continue to exercise operational authority within his parent agency.
In response, NSIB Human Resources Directorate maintained that the arrangement should not be viewed as a conventional secondment.
According to the Bureau, “the BAGAIA appointment letter dated 21 April 2026 is explicitly framed as a part-time interim appointment for six months, to be performed from his present place of employment at the NSIB in Nigeria.”
The Bureau’s explained that the appointment letter neither directed Engr. Aniagolu to relinquish his duties at the NSIB nor required him to hand over his responsibilities before assuming his regional assignment.
“It does not state or require that he be released from NSIB, hand over his responsibilities, or cease performing his functions for the Bureau,” NSIB Management stated.
According to the Bureau, Engr. Aniagolu continues to perform his official responsibilities as General Manager, Transport Investigation during the six-month interim period while remotely carrying out his duties as Commissioner of BAGAIA.
Public Service Rules and the Secondment Debate
Although NSIB disputes that the appointment constitutes a secondment, the circumstances have inevitably drawn attention to Nigeria’s Public Service Rules governing secondment arrangements.
Rule 020501 recognises secondment as an established personnel mechanism through which a public officer may serve another organisation while retaining his substantive appointment within the public service. The Rules also preserve career progression, pension rights and annual increments during the period of deployment.
However, the Rules generally provide that responsibility for an officer’s salary and other emoluments rests with the receiving organisation unless government approves an alternative arrangement. Therefore, observers questioned whether BAGAIA should now assume responsibility for the Commissioner’s remuneration if the appointment falls within the secondment framework.
NSIB Management rejected that interpretation.
“This is not a secondment arranged or processed by NSIB,” the Bureau stated.
“It is a direct international appointment made by the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency through a competitive selection process open to qualified candidates from all BAGAIA Member States.”
The Bureau explained that the appointment was secured through an international recruitment exercise rather than through Nigeria’s civil service deployment procedures.
According to NSIB, the appointment letter clearly establishes an initial six-month part-time arrangement running from 1 May to 31 October 2026. Only after satisfactory performance and formal relocation to BAGAIA Headquarters in Cabo Verde would the position become full-time.
During that interim period, the Bureau said, the Commissioner is expected to perform his BAGAIA responsibilities remotely from his existing duty station in Nigeria while maintaining close coordination with the BAGAIA Board and Secretariat.
Questions Over Continued Official Duties
The internal memorandum also prompted questions over whether Engr. Aniagolu remained authorised to exercise official authority on behalf of the NSIB after assuming the regional appointment.
The memorandum appeared to show that he continues to approve official matters in his capacity as General Manager, Transport Investigation. Consequently, questions arose over whether such authority remained valid after his appointment to BAGAIA.
NSIB Management said there was no conflict.
According to the Bureau, “Engr. Aniagolu continues to perform official duties for NSIB during the interim period of his BAGAIA appointment.”
It further explained that the appointment letter expressly permits him to discharge his BAGAIA responsibilities from his current place of employment at the NSIB while coordinating with the regional organisation.
The Bureau therefore maintained that he remains fully authorised to exercise his responsibilities within the NSIB.
He was and remains authorised to perform his official NSIB functions and to sign NSIB documents in his capacity as General Manager, Transport Investigation. No formal handover of NSIB responsibilities was required or effected under the terms of the BAGAIA interim appointment letter.
That explanation, according to the Bureau, accounts for why official memoranda continued to bear his signature after the commencement of the interim appointment.
Salary and Payroll Questions
Another issue attracting public interest concerns responsibility for the Commissioner’s remuneration.
Ordinarily, under conventional secondment arrangements, responsibility for salary rests with the receiving organisation unless another arrangement has received official approval. Consequently, questions emerged over whether Engr. Aniagolu remains on the NSIB payroll or receives remuneration from BAGAIA.
NSIB Management confirmed that he continues to receive his substantive salary from the Bureau.
“NSIB continues to bear the cost of Engr. Aniagolu’s remuneration for his substantive position and the official duties he performs for the Bureau, because he remains on the NSIB payroll and continues to carry out NSIB roles during the interim period.”
The Bureau added that his remuneration continues under the normal conditions applicable to his substantive position because he remains actively engaged in NSIB assignments throughout the six-month interim arrangement.
Also, a BAGAIA source told the portal that the regional body has not paid separate allowances associated with the international appointment during the interim period.
Approval Under Civil Service Procedures
Questions also arose over whether the arrangement required approval from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation or the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
Such approvals are ordinarily associated with public service secondments involving federal officers deployed to other organisations.
NSIB Management argued that those procedures were inapplicable because the appointment did not arise from a civil service secondment.
According to the Bureau, “the appointment is an international appointment arising from a competitive recruitment process conducted by BAGAIA in line with the principles and standards governing international aviation organisations under the ICAO framework.”
The Bureau further explained that because the appointment was structured as a part-time interim assignment rather than a full release from the civil service, “it did not require approval from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in the manner applicable to ordinary secondments.”
NSIB stated that the applicable conditions are contained in the BAGAIA appointment letter dated 21 April 2026 together with the agency’s governing legal instruments.
According to the Bureau, its involvement has been limited to facilitating the Commissioner’s interim work location at the NSIB in accordance with the terms contained in the appointment letter.
Why the Legal Distinction Matters
The debate illustrates why the legal classification of such appointments is significant.
If the arrangement constitutes a conventional secondment, the Public Service Rules governing salary, reporting lines, pension administration and supervisory authority would ordinarily apply. Those provisions are intended to ensure transparency and avoid uncertainty over responsibility for remuneration and official accountability.
However, if the appointment is instead an international part-time engagement outside the Public Service secondment framework, as NSIB maintains, the governing instrument becomes the appointment letter issued by BAGAIA together with the agency’s legal framework.
That distinction is particularly relevant because BAGAIA functions as a Regional Accident Investigation Organisation established to enable member states to pool technical expertise and investigative resources in accordance with ICAO Annex 13 standards.
NSIB explained that participation in the organisation is voluntary and designed to strengthen cooperation among member states without compromising the independence of accident investigations.
The Bureau added that Engr. Aniagolu’s interim dual responsibilities reflect that cooperative framework pending his eventual relocation to Cabo Verde should his appointment transition into a full-time role.
Transparency Remains Important
Governance experts generally agree that arrangements involving senior public officials require clear documentation irrespective of whether they are classified as secondments, international appointments or temporary assignments.
Such documentation ordinarily specifies the effective commencement date, reporting relationships, remuneration arrangements, pension administration, accountability mechanisms and any transitional responsibilities retained by the officer within the parent organisation.
Transparent disclosure of those arrangements helps prevent public misconceptions regarding dual remuneration, conflicting reporting structures or overlapping authority, even where no such issues actually exist.
In this instance, NSIB has provided its explanation that the appointment remains a part-time international engagement rather than a secondment. Nevertheless, the matter illustrates the growing importance of clarity whenever Nigerian public officials simultaneously hold responsibilities within domestic agencies and regional organisations.
No Evidence of Any Breach
The internal memorandum obtained by NigerianFLIGHTDECK does not establish that any law, regulation or Public Service Rule has been violated.
Similarly, there is currently no publicly available evidence suggesting that Engr. Aniagolu is receiving double remuneration or acting outside the authority granted under his appointment.
Instead, the questions centre on the legal characterisation of the arrangement and whether it should be viewed through the lens of Nigeria’s Public Service Rules on secondment or as a distinct international appointment governed by BAGAIA’s own legal framework.
For now, NSIB’s position is unequivocal. The Bureau maintains that the appointment is not a secondment, that Engr. Aniagolu lawfully continues to discharge his substantive duties at the NSIB during the interim period, and that his appointment letter expressly authorises him to perform his regional responsibilities remotely pending any transition to a full-time role in Cabo Verde.
Whether that explanation settles the broader public debate may ultimately depend on the release of additional documentation governing the appointment. However, the Bureau’s response has now placed its official position on record, providing context to questions that emerged following the circulation of the internal memorandum and clarifying why it believes the Public Service Rules on secondment do not apply to the current arrangement.
