The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has disputed the ₦7.58 billion ILS figure but admitted its CAT III systems were downgraded.
In a rejoinder signed by NAMA’s Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr Abdullahi Musa, the agency said the Lagos installation was eventually replaced after safety, and reliability concerns emerged. The September 14, 2026, statement followed a September 11 report titled “How NAMA Wasted N7.58bn on ILS for Lagos, Abuja Airports.”
NAMA said the report contained “fundamental factual inaccuracies, technical misconceptions and allegations unsupported by procurement and operational records.” The agency, however, acknowledged that the CAT III-capable systems installed at Lagos and Abuja did not ultimately deliver CAT III operations.
NAMA Says ILS Contract Was ₦1.18bn
According to the NAMA rejoinder, the approved contract for supplying and installing CAT III-capable Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) for Lagos and Abuja was ₦1,188,139,913.90.
The agency said the contract was awarded to Alolis Geo-Science Nigeria Limited, representing Leonardo SPA, formerly Selex. It added that the procurement received approvals from the Bureau of Public Procurement and Federal Executive Council.
NAMA said the ₦7.58 billion figure came from a 2019 newspaper estimate. According to the agency, that estimate assumed about US$3 million per runway and extrapolated the amount across seven proposed airports.
“The ₦7.58 billion figure originated from a 2019 newspaper estimate,” NAMA said. The agency added that the figure was neither the approved contract sum for Lagos and Abuja nor evidence of expenditure on the two installations.
NAMA also said the report cited no contract, payment certificate, appropriation, audit finding or other official record establishing that either ₦7.58 billion or ₦30.02 billion was awarded or paid for the installations.
NAMA Admits CAT III Was Not Achieved
However, the financial rebuttal contains a significant operational admission. NAMA acknowledged that installing CAT III-capable equipment did not make Lagos or Abuja CAT III operational.
The agency said CAT III operations require an integrated system beyond the navigation equipment itself. It listed approved procedures, appropriate runway and approach lighting, runway visual-range reporting and dependable power among the requirements.
It also identified protected ILS areas, low-visibility procedures, CAT III-compliant aircraft and suitably trained and certified crews as essential components.
NAMA described CAT III as a coordinated aviation-system responsibility involving several stakeholders.
“The truth of the matter is that we never had CAT III in Nigeria; it was merely a name,” the agency said.
NAMA said the equipment was therefore downgraded to CAT II to align with complementary facilities. It cited runway lighting, aircraft compliance, trained CAT III crews and stable power among the factors involved.
Safety Concerns Led to Replacement
The most consequential part of the rejoinder concerns the performance of the Lagos equipment.
According to NAMA, the problems began from installation and persisted until concerns were raised about the system’s reliability. The agency said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) raised concerns about the equipment’s safety and its tendency to transmit misleading parameters to aircraft.
NAMA also said it received reports from Air Traffic Controllers, its Safety Management System unit, international airlines and Air Traffic Engineers. The agency said these reports pointed to the need for intervention because the problems were becoming a safety threat.
NAMA said pilots reported that the equipment could take aircraft off course during final approach. It also said the system could go off altogether, after which international airlines resorted to Lagos Runway 18L.
“The product was replaced to protect the flying public due to the erratic malfunctioning observed since its installation,” NAMA said.
The agency said the associated lighting facilities required for CAT III operations were unavailable. It also said the National Meteorological Agency (NiMet) was expected to provide necessary meteorological input.
NAMA said the Lagos equipment was subsequently replaced with CAT II capability. It added that the replacement system was calibrated and passed the requisite checks.
Lagos And Abuja Remained Below CAT III
NAMA said its operational records show that the Lagos Runway 18R and Abuja Runway 22 facilities were commissioned, certified and promulgated for operation in February 2020.
According to the agency, this followed necessary realignment, recalibration and validation. NAMA therefore rejected the assertion that the systems “never worked for one day”.
However, the agency acknowledged that subsequent integrity and serviceability problems occurred. It said the Selex platform also presented fleet-commonality, training, spares and lifecycle-support concerns.
NAMA said its established maintenance environment had greater familiarity with Thales and Indra systems. It maintained that a safety-critical navigation aid must be downgraded, withdrawn or replaced when its integrity cannot consistently be demonstrated.
“That is safety management, not waste,” the agency said.
The agency also confirmed that the Abuja facility was not operating as CAT III. It said the system had been downgraded to CAT II for the reasons outlined in its rejoinder.
The Bigger CAT III Procurement Question
NAMA’s explanation places CAT III capability across several aviation stakeholders. The agency said airfield ground lighting and airport power at FAAN-managed airports fall within FAAN’s responsibilities.
NAMA provides navigation and air traffic services infrastructure, while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority regulates and approves operations. Meteorological services, aircraft capability and crew certification also affect CAT III readiness.
This creates a broader procurement question beyond the disputed ₦7.58 billion. If the supporting CAT III ecosystem was incomplete, were the complementary facilities sufficiently ready when the CAT III-capable systems were procured?
Answering that question would require examination of procurement specifications, project approvals, commissioning records and calibration reports. Operational reports, IATA correspondence and documents surrounding the downgrade and replacement would also establish a clearer timeline.
NAMA said the second phase of the ILS programme covered Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport and Katsina Airport, rather than Maiduguri and Sokoto.
The agency said the second phase initially received approval for ₦1,824,643,438.33. An augmentation of ₦546,109,336.33 subsequently brought the total approved project value to ₦2,370,752,774.66.
NAMA said implementation was affected by funding constraints and concerns about repeating the reliability, commissioning, spares and lifecycle-support difficulties encountered during the first phase.
The agency also rejected allegations that the project was a conduit for “cornering” public funds. It said no audit finding, judicial decision, procurement investigation or competent determination had established such wrongdoing.
