The Federal Government has begun moves to establish new inter-agency operational procedures and legislative reforms following President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a new reporting framework for the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in what officials described as part of a broader national security response to transportation emergencies.
Under resolutions reached at a high-level stakeholder meeting in Abuja, federal agencies are expected to develop joint standard operating procedures within 30 days and sign inter-agency memoranda within 60 days. The government will also commence amendments to the NSIB Establishment Act 2022 to support full implementation of the framework.
National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, while Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, served as co-chairperson.
Ribadu, National Security Adviser, led discussions at the meeting that brought together aviation, maritime, rail, road transportation, emergency management, and security institutions.
The new arrangement places the NSIB directly under the Presidency through ONSA, ending its previous supervisory structure under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development. Officials said the move would strengthen investigative independence and improve coordination during major transportation incidents.
National Security Response Drives Inter-Agency NSIB Coordination
Speaking during the meeting, Mallam Ribadu said the reform was designed to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks and reinforce transparency in accident investigations.
According to him, transportation emergencies increasingly overlap with intelligence coordination, infrastructure protection, and emergency response operations. Therefore, the government considers the reform critical to Nigeria’s wider national security response framework.
He stated that ONSA would provide institutional coordination, especially during investigations involving operational failures connected to sectoral agencies.
“The objective is to preserve neutrality, public trust, and professional transparency in accident investigations,” Ribadu said.
Captain Alex Badeh Jr., Director General of the NSIB, described the transition as a major institutional development for the Bureau. He said direct reporting to the Presidency would improve response timelines, evidence preservation, and coordinated response among agencies during multimodal investigations with wider national security response and implications.
“Our responsibility remains preventive, not punitive. The Bureau determines probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences,” Badeh said.
The NSIB boss also referenced operational challenges encountered during previous investigations, including delayed access to information and overlapping institutional responsibilities in the late 2025 and early 2026. However, he expressed confidence that the new structure would significantly reduce such constraints.
Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, said the framework aligns Nigeria with international best practices. She noted that countries such as the United States, Canada, and France operate independent accident investigation structures insulated from sectoral control.
Participants at the meeting included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development; Federal Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation; Federal Ministry of Finance; Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF); Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC); Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA); Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC); National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA); Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.); Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA); Nigeria Police Force (NPF); National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); the Armed Forces and Air Command; alongside other relevant agencies.
The meeting ended with stakeholders unanimously backing the reform and committing to deepen operational collaboration through structured inter-agency frameworks, coordinated response protocols, and institutional partnerships designed to support effective implementation.
For Nigeria, where transport-related accidents continue to expose gaps in emergency response coordination and safety enforcement, the new framework signals a broader effort to reposition accident investigation as a preventive national safety mechanism tied not only to transportation oversight, but also to national resilience, public accountability, and institutional trust.
Government has begun moves to establish new inter-agency operational procedures and legislative reforms following President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a new reporting framework for the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in what officials described as part of a broader national security response to transportation emergencies.
