Sirika orders aviation agencies to relocate to Abuja within 45 days

The Ministry of Aviation has directed the parastatals to move their corporate headquarters to the capital city.

A letter dated May 4, 2020 with the reference number: FMA/PMD/7061/T/4 with the head: Relocation of Aviation Agencies’ Headquarters to Abuja, signed by Muhammad Shehu, Director, Human Resource Management on behalf of the ministry gave the agencies 45 days to relocate their headquarters to FCT.

The letter stated that the directive to move to Abuja had been on since 2012 and ordered the Chief Executive Officers of the agencies to comply immediately.

Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, argued in the letter that the relocation of the agencies’ headquarters out of Lagos would enhance efficiency and service delivery between the ministry and the agencies.

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Agencies affected by the relocation order included the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The other two agencies were already outside Lagos. For instance, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) had always been in Abuja, while the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria has its head office in Kaduna State.

The letter read in part: “I am directed to remind you of the presidential directive issued in 2012 requesting agencies under the ministry to relocate their corporate headquarters to the Federal Capital Territory for efficient and effective coordination and enhanced service delivery between the ministry and its agencies and to note that, eight years after the directives, the agencies are yet to comply.

“Accordingly, considering the current situation and the economic impact worldwide, as well as the need to reduce the cost of governance and manage the scare resources in a sustainable way, it has become imperative and further to the Honourable Minister’s directives (copy attached) to request that you facilitate and complete the relocation exercise of your corporate headquarters to Abuja within the next 45 days, in line with earlier directives.”

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.