The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has refuted claims that it wasted N7.58 billion on Category 3 (CAT III) Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) for the Lagos and Abuja airports, clarifying that the actual contract sum was N1.18 billion and that equipment modifications were driven strictly by airspace safety protocols.
In a detailed response issued by Abdullahi Musa, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, the agency stated that the alleged N7.58 billion figure was an unofficial 2019 media estimate that extrapolated speculative costs across seven airports, rather than an approved contract sum or actual expenditure by NAMA.
According to NAMA, the approved contract for supplying and installing CAT III-capable ILS and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) for Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Lagos) and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (Abuja) was N1,188,139,913.90.
The contract was awarded to Alolis Geo-Science Nigeria Limited (representing Leonardo SPA) following statutory approvals from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
NAMA clarified that installing CAT III-capable ground equipment does not automatically allow CAT III low-visibility flight operations. Full deployment requires a complete aviation ecosystem, including:
High-intensity airfield ground lighting and touchdown-zone lighting (managed by FAAN), calibrated meteorological inputs (managed by NiMet), and certified CAT III-compliant aircraft, flight crews, and uninterrupted power supply.
Following installation, operational reports from pilots, Air Traffic Controllers, and safety units revealed that the Lagos Runway 18R equipment experienced recurrent technical instability, including signals taking aircraft off course during final approach.
‘A safety-critical navigational aid that cannot consistently demonstrate the required integrity must be downgraded, withdrawn or replaced. That is safety management, not waste.
‘We never truly had functional CAT III operations in Nigeria; it was merely a designation, as the equipment was downgraded to CAT II to align with available complementary infrastructure,’ Abdullahi Musa, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NAMA
The agency confirmed that both Lagos Runway 18R and Abuja Runway 22 facilities were realigned, recalibrated, and officially commissioned for CAT II operations in February 2020 to maintain airspace safety.