Tinubu Moves Safety Investigation Bureau to Presidency

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the repositioning of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to report directly to the Presidency.

The decision removes the bureau from the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and places it under the Presidency for closer national policy oversight.

The approval was conveyed in a State House correspondence dated March 5, 2026, and transmitted to the aviation ministry on March 11 for immediate implementation. As part of the directive, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation has been instructed to amend the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Establishment Act 2022 and forward the proposed changes to the National Assembly of Nigeria.

The move effectively removes the bureau from the control of the aviation ministry and integrates it more closely with the central governance structure.

The NSIB was created under the 2022 establishment act to replace the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), which previously handled aviation accident investigations alone.

With the establishment of the NSIB, the bureau’s mandate was expanded beyond aviation to cover accident investigations across multiple modes of transportation.

The agency now investigates incidents involving aviation, marine transport, rail systems and tracked vehicle operations as part of Nigeria’s broader transport safety framework.

Industry stakeholders had long called for the bureau to be moved out of the aviation ministry, arguing that its responsibilities now extend beyond the aviation sector.

Observers say the transition reflects a major shift in Nigeria’s transport safety philosophy, positioning the bureau as a multimodal accident investigation authority with a broader national oversight role.