Trouble in the aviation industry as expert reportedly uncovers N136bn unremitted revenue by government agency

macfranc007 March 14, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Eromosele Ebhomele

- Group Capt John Ojikutu (rtd), is calling for audit and probe of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over alleged unremitted N136 billion

- Ojikutu, a member of the Aviation Round Table (ART), gives a breakdown of his allegation against the NCAA

- NCAA denies the claims by Ojikutu saying it is not possible to doctor any traffic data relating to ticketing of passengers

An alleged discovery of N136 billion unremitted revenue in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is causing confusion as an expert and member of the Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Capt John Ojikutu (rtd), is calling for audit and probe.

Daily Trust reports that Ojikutu accused the NCAA of not declaring all the revenue from the earnings on passengers’ ticket and cargo freight sales adding that this led to the short-changing of other benefiting aviation agencies.

The report said in an article he made available, Ojikutu accused NCAA of under-declaring the passenger traffic data.

“Unfortunately, the manner the recordings of the earnings from these statutory charges had been handled by the NCAA and its consultants in the last 10 years and is still being handled today.

“At a press conference in February, 2017, NCAA released a report that showed earnings from Airlines Ticket Sales (ATSs) alone for the year 2015 and 2016 as N385bn and N330bn respectively.

“These figures were not broken down to elucidate the earnings for neither international nor domestic passengers.

“These figures are misleading when compared with the records available at the NCAA DATR on the five per cent Ticket Sales (TSC) for the international and domestic airlines ticket sales alone; especially from January to December 2016, which was N15.1bn in and $23.5m or a total of N23.3bn. If N23.3bn was the recorded five per cent TSC on the ticket sales alone in 2016 by the NCAA DATR, the ticket sales earnings, therefore, cannot be N330bn as presented by NCAA at the February 2017, conference but N466bn; a difference of N136bn.

“That the same 2017 press conference, NCAA recorded passenger traffic figures of 11.4 million and 11.3 million for 2015 and 2016 respectively is also misleading when taken against the figures of 15.2 million and 14.2 million recorded respectively for the same periods by FAAN, ‘the passengers’ gate keeper’ at all the national airports. The NCAA also recorded 3,272,331 for each of the same years, for international passengers while the FAAN figures were 4.30 million and 4.20 million respectively.

“Similarly, for the same period, the NCAA domestic passenger traffic figures were 8.1 million and 8.0 million respectively, while FAAN recorded 10.2 million and 10.9 million respectively for the same period.

“The huge difference of over four million between FAAN and NCAA on the overall passenger figures for each of the two years and in particular, the difference of over one million in the international passenger figures are gaps of holes that made the NCAA recorded ATSs earnings of N385bn and N330bn for 2015 and 2016 misleading and questionable,” he said.

The report said Sam Adurogboye, the spokesperson of the NCAA denied the allegation as, according to him, it was not possible that any traffic data can be doctored based on the checks on ground.

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“It is not correct and is not even possible. First, NCAA books have regularly been scrutinised by the various committees in the National Assembly, federal auditors from the ministry of aviation and the Auditor General of the Federation.”

“Secondly, NCAA, NAMA and FAAN have a standing committee that meets periodically to reconcile figures of aircraft and passengers’ movement. So, our figures are uniform and unified.

“Billing of airlines is done based on actual coupon flown and passengers manifest that are supplied by airlines. So, it is not imaginary charges.

“Interestingly, allegations are coming after a futile effort from those that seek to be given a non-existent consultancy service because is already being handled,” he said.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday, February 14, said it would investigate the emergency landing by an Atlanta-bound Delta Air Lines flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

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