Representative of IGPand Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba (left), inaugurating counter-terrorism campaign factsheet in Abuja recently. With him is the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Abayomi Shogunle. hoto: NAN

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Port Harcourt management has ejected about four of its concessionaires and their properties scattered outside the airport premises.
The concessionaires who cried out against the FAAN’s action accused the management of intimidation.
Speaking with newsmen recently one of the effected concessionaires, Rev. Francisca Omele, lamented that her goods and cash worth over N50 million were destroyed by the actions of the authority which she claimed was to allow for a popular fast food outfit to take her place.
Omelet alleged that she was asked to greece the palms of top managers at the Port Harcourt International Airport, her refusal to dance to their tune was the reason for throwing her property outside the terminal building.
She claimed that the General Manager, Commercial, at the headquarters had given them assurance after they applied for renewal of their tenancy, but that was yet to come before the ejection.
Omelet called on the Federal Government, particularly the Minister of Aviation to look into the issue, stating that she is a widow with eight children and helpless.
“I have an agreement with FAAN for the past 18 years, during the construction, they asked us to quit and to return after the completion of the work which he did.
They built canopies round the area and asked us to continue operation. After the completion, we were asked to transfer our properties to the terminal building which we did. We pay our rent regularly. By the agreement we have with FAAN, after two or three months, if nobody asked for rent from you, you should re apply which we did. We met the manager, she directed us to meet with the Commercial manager, who asked us to list the names of the concessionairs, we were waiting to hear from them before the sudden ejection on Tuesday”, she lamented.
Also speaking, Chief Kerian Olocha, said he has been operating at the airport since 1979 when the airport was established but regretted that since the current manager was posted to the Port Harcourt International Airport, it has been from one trouble to another.
Olocha noted that he and other concessionairs do pay their rent as at when due but wonder why the regional manager has decided to eject them while the headquarters were working on how to reallocate space to them.
He also accused the management of some shady deals in the reallocation, noting his properties destroyed were worth millions of Naira.
The Ikwerre-born traditional ruler threatened to go to court if FAAN did not retreat its moves.
According to him, “since the Regional Manager was posted to the airport, it has been, park out, park in”.
He further narrated that during the construction of the airport, they were asked to quit, but were asked to come back after tents were built.
Since then, we have being paying our fees. The Regional manager later asked us to reapply to the general manager, Commercial in Lagos which we did, the GM, Commercial, had assured us that we shall be given a space since we are old tenants, but surprisingly, yesterday (Tuesday) we were told that our goods are outside”, he said.
The Head of Department, Corporate Communications, Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Mr. Ola Ogundalapo dismissed that the concessionairs were not their tenants.