President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved urgent action to fix Nigeria’s failing surveillance system, directing the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to deliver immediate solutions. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has opened high-level talks with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), to stabilise operations and prevent further degradation of radar coverage nationwide.
The intervention targets critical gaps within the surveillance system, therefore prioritising the procurement of modern signal processors and antennas across nine primary radar sites. These include Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt. In addition, authorities plan to deploy secondary surveillance layers to eliminate blind spots and end reliance on a fragile single-layer radar network.
Surveillance System Updates
However, the urgency stems from the deteriorating Total Radar Coverage system (TRACON), deployed between 2008 and 2010. The platform has exceeded its 10-year design life, leaving the surveillance system increasingly vulnerable. Since 2014, sourcing spare parts has become difficult, as key components are now classified as “end-of-life” and no longer mass-produced.
Meanwhile, engineers have adopted temporary survival measures to keep operations running. NAMA has resorted to cannibalising parts from less critical installations to sustain radar services at major hubs. This approach, although effective in the short term, has raised safety concerns among stakeholders who warn that the surveillance system can no longer rely on improvised fixes.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Umar Farouk Ahmed, had earlier issued a stark warning on the system’s condition. He said the TRACON infrastructure has reached critical obsolescence, forcing engineers to improvise under pressure.
“Engineers are forced to scavenge for non-existent spare parts just to keep the nation’s radar functioning,” he stated.
Following a high-level briefing, President Tinubu authorised the immediate release of intervention funds to overhaul the ageing surveillance system. The move signals a decisive shift toward modern aviation safety standards and infrastructure resilience.
In addition, the upgrade will transition Nigeria away from its outdated 2008 architecture toward more advanced platforms aligned with global standards adopted since 2014. This reset is expected to significantly enhance situational awareness, improve air traffic management, and restore confidence in the country’s aviation ecosystem.
