As NCAA Defends Air Travellers through Feedback  

Chinedu Eze

One of the major successes of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is closing the gap between air travellers and airlines.

In the past, many passengers find it difficult to seek redress whenever their rights were infringed upon by airlines or even the airport authority. In those days, when travellers were dissatisfied with the way they were treated by airlines, they would either give up or take their case to court.

There existed consumer protection department then but the process of a passenger taking his or her case to NCAA for it to be attended to was very slow and very cumbersome. Many years ago, the head of the department of consumer protection (it was later elevated to a directorate) would be strewn with petitions from local and international travellers who felt that their rights were infringed upon or who lost their bags on transit, allegedly exploited or short-changed.

But with the emergence of the current administration in NCAA, a radical change took place.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, adopted social media as medium of interaction between passengers and the agency. This gave rise to immediate feedback system. The dedication and commitment shown by the Director thawed the hitherto frosty relationship airlines used to have with passengers.

The key strategy was the adoption of social media to interface with travellers. Reports indicate that average Nigerian has access to social media, so it has become the most reliable platform for passenger, agency and airline interaction. Reports have also shown that in Nigeria, there has been continuous increase in the number of social media users that from 2017 to 2023, the number progressed from 18 million in 2017, 19 million in 2018, 24 million in 2019, 27 million in 2020, 33 million in 2021, 32.9 million in 2022 and 31.6 million by January, 2023.

By April 2026, it is indicated that about 47.8 million Nigerians are active social media users. Of course, the advent of social media has resulted in substantial changes in the way businesses function and engage with their consumers. Going through Achimugu’s X (Twitter) account shows his continuous interaction with passengers, striving to solve their problems and the relief most of the passengers have when their problems were resolved.

NCAA has also brought the airlines in. Letting the passengers know their obligations towards the airlines and has successfully brought down the air rage, which is when passengers become violent because there was delay in their flight or their flight was cancelled. Credit should be given to the enlightenment carried out by NCAA to educate the passengers and also reiterated the responsibility airlines have to their passengers.

Beyond social media interaction, the administration carried out road shows, especially in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt in addition to other fora where NCAA met with airlines.

In one of such interactions, during a nationwide awareness campaign to educate travellers and airlines on their rights and obligations, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Chris Najomo, directed that henceforth, airlines must compensate passengers in accordance with the rules governing aviation operations in the country.

Highlighting common issues such as flight delays, Najomo explained the regulations, saying, “After 2 hours of delay, airlines must provide snacks and refreshments. After 3 hours, passengers are entitled to refunds, either in cash or processed online within two weeks. After 4 hours, airlines must provide hotel accommodations for overnight delays.”

Achimugu reiterated the NCAA’s commitment to fairness, stressing that the agency supports passengers when they are wronged but also backs airlines when justified

He explained that the initiative is not solely about holding airlines accountable but about ensuring mutual understanding of rights and obligations.

These campaigns have paid off positively both for passengers and the airlines. In one of his posts on his X account, Achimugu explained his mission and said: “When I was appointed, the Honourable Minister said to me, ‘Learn everything about this industry and do your job. Be prepared to take bullets that may hurt. Do your job, still. The civil aviation industry has been positively disrupted by the Honourable Minister, the DGCA, and a host of us who have bought into both the 5-point agenda of the Minister, and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We must build on those gains and catch up with the rest of the world, rather than resort to double speak.  We are strict, but we are just doing our jobs. One day soon, I will no longer be here. Until then, feel free to comply with regulations and regulatory directives, because it is a duty owed.”

On airline-passenger relationship, he wrote, “Airlines should, please, ensure to let passengers know the true reasons for lengthy delays, especially when it is a fuelling issue. Do not keep people waiting in false hopes from morning until late night, only to either cancel or fly at an hour where safety at destination city is not guaranteed.  Everybody is affected by this avoidable situation, including top government officials, visa interview applicants, students, and business people, among others. The challenges may not be the fault of the airlines sometimes, but it is the responsibility of the operator to mitigate the inconvenience of paying passengers by letting them make the choice to book another flight to prevent missing out on extremely important events.”

Nigerians are sceptics, especially when it comes to government representatives. Nigerians easily become combative. So, Achimugu must have a dose of that when he started but people’s responses on his X account indicates that majority of air travellers have seen him as a go-to person and have built their trust on his as problem solver. Just as Nigerians are sceptics; they are also generous with commendations when you solve their problems. The eulogies abound.

There have been some major cases where NCAA intervention has protected the Nigerian passengers, especially on international trips. One of such incidents that come to mind is the intervention of the regulatory authority after a video went viral showing Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, being denied boarding and mistreated by Kenya Airways in Nairobi in February 2025. The NCAA condemned the airline, demanded her immediate airlifting, and later imposed fines and compensation for violating passenger rights.

No wonder, Achimugu was adjudged the Best Director at the NIGAV Awards and the Director General was recognised as the Aviation Chief Executive of the year for the leadership role he plays in the industry.

Spokesman of United Nigeria Airlines, Chibuike Eloka, acknowledged the transformation that has taken place in the Consumer Protection Directorate in NCAA and observed that hitherto frosty relationship between airlines and passengers has ebbed because NCAA is effectively doing its job of interfacing with passengers. So, the regulatory authority has provided a platform for the passengers to resolve their issues and NCAA, on the other hand, also interfaces with airlines, thus achieving greater understanding.

Eloka added that by using social media, NCAA has made interacting with passengers easier and the impact is being felt because there has been a reduction in air rage; although it still happens but not like in the past.