The Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack the Director General of the Nigerian Safety and Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Alex Badeh Jr., over controversies surrounding a recent toxicology report linked to the July 2024 Air Peace runway incursion incident.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, NEFGAD said the conflicting accounts between the NSIB and Air Peace regarding the toxicology findings have raised serious doubts about the Bureau’s credibility, professionalism, and operational integrity under Badeh’s leadership.
Speaking on behalf of the group, its Acting Head of Office, Barrister Unekwu Blessing Ojo, expressed disappointment in the handling of what she described as a highly sensitive investigation. She said the inconsistencies in the NSIB’s report and the subsequent counterclaims from Air Peace were unprecedented in the aviation sector and damaging to public confidence.
Ojo emphasized that the NSIB, as the nation’s aviation watchdog, must operate with “precision, neutrality and scientific rigour,” warning that any lapse—real or perceived—undermines both domestic and international trust in Nigeria’s air safety oversight.
She noted that the ongoing controversy has raised legitimate concerns about the Bureau’s internal processes and its adherence to global best practices since Badeh assumed office.
“At this critical moment, Nigeria cannot afford an aviation investigative body whose operations inspire controversy rather than confidence,” she stated.
NEFGAD therefore called for Badeh’s immediate resignation, saying this was necessary to protect the integrity of ongoing and future investigations and to restore public trust in the agency.
The group also urged President Tinubu to order an independent assessment of the NSIB’s leadership, investigative protocols, and quality control mechanisms, using the Air Peace incident as a benchmark for reforms.
NEFGAD warned that it would mobilise mass action and pursue possible legal steps if the NSIB boss refuses to step down, insisting that accountability in aviation safety institutions must remain non-negotiable.
