President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the repositioning of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to report directly to the Presidency, ending its previous administrative oversight under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
The approval, dated March 5, 2026, and conveyed to the Aviation ministry for implementation on March 11 is expected to strengthen the independence of accident investigations across Nigeria’s transport sector.
The directive also mandates the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to initiate amendments to the NSIB Establishment Act 2022 to reflect the new reporting structure and transmit the proposed changes to the National Assembly.
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The Bureau was created under Act No. 35 of 2022, replacing the former Accident Investigation Bureau and expanding its responsibilities beyond aviation to include marine, rail and other transport systems.
Despite its broader mandate, the agency had remained under the Aviation ministry a structure many observers considered inconsistent with its multimodal investigative role.
The new arrangement is designed to align the Bureau with global best practices, where accident investigation authorities operate independently of sector regulators to ensure objective and transparent findings.
