Business
FG Forecloses Execution Of New Aviation Project
The Supervising Minister for Aviation, Dr Samuel Ortom, said Monday that the ministry would not embark on new projects until the ongoing ones were completed.
Ortom made the announcement during an inspection tour of the ongoing remodelling project at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The ministry had embarked on remodelling of all the 22 airports in the country.
Ortom assured that none of the ongoing projects in the sector would be abandoned, noting that most of the projects were near completion.
The supervising minister said, however, that some projects were suspended recently, due to lack of funds.
He disclosed that work had since resumed after the Federal Government signed the 2014 budget into law.
“We have to prioritise our work here, we have been operating using internally-generated revenue and we will continue to operate with it. We have done a lot.
“During this inspection, we have identified some works we have to tidy up. We intend not to embark on any new project until we tidy up these ones.”
Ortom said that the ministry would build additional cargo terminals to boost agricultural exports.
He said that the ministry had taken steps to address manpower shortages, noting that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would be directed to re-engage its retired workers, especially those from the fire department.
“We will follow due process to temporarily reabsorb some FAAN Fire Service retirees across the country to occupy some positions in the aviation industry.
“We will take issue of safety and security as priority areas,” he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, said that the major challenge facing the company was lack of manpower for the fire service department.
He said that FAAN had only 600 members of staff in its fire department, falling short of the figure recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.