Concessionaire Wants Faan To Prove Debts Claim

Despite claims by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that one of its biggest concessionaires, Maevis Nigeria Limited is owing it to the tune of N17 billion, the agency is yet to come out with facts and figures to support the claims.

Maevis is in charge of Aeronautical and non-Aeronautical revenue collection on behalf of FAAN and the deployment of Airport Operations Management System (AOMS) – a platform that enables airlines and other agencies operate with ease at airports, using advanced Information technology known as the Common User system.

The company, it was, that deployed new hi-tech check-in counters to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Lagos and Abuja respectively and other on-time data capturing equipment to the airport.

On debt claims, Remi Olumuyiwa, Maevis head of External Relations, last week, told journalists that the system being operated by the company does not encourage for indiscriminate cash flow.

Explaining how it remits money to FAAN, Olumuyiwa said Maevis does not hold cash because the airlines pay directly into dedicated accounts of designated banks before it is then remitted to FAAN.

“We are not owing FAAN N17 billion, it is not just possible for us to owe because the platform does not provide for that, we insist that we have remitted the necessary amount to FAAN and are not owing the agency,” he declared.

The Maevis spokesperson who noted that such claims were diversionary and “contrary to dealings between FAAN, its service users, concessionaires and the collecting agencies,” added, “We state in very strong terms that Maevis is not in any way indebted to FAAN. We want to emphasise that Maevis as a company and the technology it has deployed for passenger facilitation and revenue collection is unique, transparent and beneficial to all service users and providers as well as other stakeholders in the aviation industry.” Also speaking on the issue recently, Maevis’ head of credit control, Wemimo Olowolade, said for Lagos airport alone, between August 2008 and November 2010, the company has invoiced N25.7 billion and remitted N21 billion to FAAN. She said the company remitted $6.2 million to FAAN after it invoiced $7.2 million on Aeronautical charges alone.

Aeronautical charges include those of landing, parking, aviobridge and Passenger Service Charge.

As for Abuja airport, he said the company has invoiced N2.8 billion and remitted N1.6billion to FAAN

“We are not owing FAAN N17 billion because customers pay the money through Zenith and Skye Banks and it will not be possible for us to owe such amount, our performance has always been between ninety and one hundred percent at these airports,” the company says.

But when contacted to disprove the claims by Mavies, FAAN’s spokesperson, Akin Olukunle promised to provide the evidence but could not readily do so beacuse those with the details were not immediately available.