Two years after the recruitment of over 100 Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) cadets by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the cadets are yet to receive the necessary training for deployment across the country’s airports. This delay exacerbates the ongoing manpower shortage in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Despite the critical need for ATCs, the cadets remain untrained due to logistical and financial challenges, including the high costs of training and a lack of capacity at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).
Manpower Shortage in ATC Sector
As of 2019, Nigeria had approximately 350 ATCs manning 27 airports, a number deemed insufficient by industry stakeholders. Currently, the country has around 400 ATCs for about 30 airports, including state-owned and private ones, still far below the required number. Smaller airports that need at least six ATCs to operate efficiently have only one ATC managing operations throughout the day.
A source within the aviation sector revealed, “The country currently has less than 50 percent of the ATC requirement.” For instance, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, which requires at least 20 controllers for its five different units, operates with fewer controllers than needed.
Challenges in Training New Recruits
In 2022, the Federal Government recruited fresh graduates as ATC cadets to address this shortage. However, these cadets have not been deployed due to the lack of mandatory training courses, on-the-job training (OJT), and licensing by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Training costs nearly N2 million per cadet at NCAT, excluding accommodation, feeding, and OJT. NCAT’s limited capacity to train a large number of cadets simultaneously has contributed to the delay. “NAMA recruited some graduates as ATC cadets, but many have not been trained due to NCAT’s limited capacity,” said Comrade Abayomi Agoro, President of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).
Agoro noted that the government has been temporarily addressing the shortage by re-engaging retired controllers. He highlighted the cost-intensive nature of training abroad, further complicating the situation.
Need for Comprehensive Manpower Planning
Former NATCA Secretary General, Mr. Banji Alawode, echoed the concerns about training capacity at NCAT, emphasizing the shortage of instructors and accommodation. “Instructors are the major issue; we don’t have enough. The equipment might be there, but they don’t have enough personnel,” he stated.
Alawode pointed out that even new state airports, like Ogun State’s Gateway Airport, are struggling to staff their control towers. This situation underscores the urgent need for comprehensive manpower planning and resource allocation in the aviation sector.
NAMA’s Response
Engr. Farouk Umar, Managing Director of NAMA, acknowledged the training challenges, citing a lack of proper manpower auditing before recruitment. “It takes time to train ATCs. We decided to recruit them, but it takes more than a year to train ATCs that will be on the hot seat. We are working towards addressing this issue,” he said.
Conclusion
The delay in training new ATC cadets highlights significant gaps in Nigeria’s aviation sector’s planning and resource allocation. Addressing these issues is crucial to ensuring the safety and efficiency of air traffic operations across the country’s growing network of airports.
