Thu Sep 12 05:51:00 UTC 2024: ## Nigeria Delisted from US Category One Status Due to Lack of Service

**LAGOS, NIGERIA** – Nigeria has been delisted from the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Category One status, a development that has sparked controversy within the country’s aviation sector. The delisting, which took effect in 2022, is attributed to the inability of any Nigerian airline to provide service to the United States for the past seven years.

According to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the delisting was a result of no Nigerian airline operating into the US using a Nigerian-registered aircraft within the two-year period preceding September 2022. The NCAA stressed that the delisting is not due to any safety or security deficiencies in Nigeria’s oversight system, as the country has undergone comprehensive ICAO audits without any significant safety or security concerns.

However, the news has been met with criticism from some within the industry, including former military commandant and Managing Director of Centurion Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu. Ojikutu sees the delisting as a sign of a failing system, highlighting the lack of a national carrier and the absence of government support for private airlines operating on BASA routes.

“It is meant to remind us that things are going from bad to worse today,” Ojikutu stated. “We have been designating private airlines on the BASA routes with no government security supports and forgetting that such airlines are national assets for national security.”

While Nigerian airlines are still permitted to operate into the US using aircraft leased from countries with Category One status, the delisting has raised concerns about the future of Nigerian airlines and their ability to compete on the international stage.

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