Stakeholder Condemns FAAN, Concessionaires’ Face Off

Former Chairman of  Port
Harcourt International Airport Landlords Association and Chairman of  Omagwa Council of Chiefs, Eze Kinikanwo Kpalikwe, has described the faceoff between the Regional Manager, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), South-South/South East, Mrs. Ebele Okoye and concessionaires at the airport as unfortunate.
Chief Kpalikwu who stated this last Tuesday in a chat with Aviation correspondents at the airport, said the verbal attacks on the manager by the concessionaires were unnecessary as the granting authority reside with the management at the Lagos head office of FAAN.
He said two of the concessionares who had operated at the PHIA for years failed to renew their operational documents and the management of FAAN at the head office directed termination of their tenancy.
“I was surprised to hear that some concessionaires are casting aspersions on the manager here, as far as I know concessions are not given here in Port Harcourt but in Lagos office, so any one who has problem with the concession should contact Lagos, he said.
According to him, as a stakeholder and traditional ruler in the area, I have held discussions with the concessionaires and the management of FAAN all have confirmed that the issue of concession resides with the headquarters of the authority in Lagos and therefore advised them to follow the issue legitimately in seeking redress.
He extolled the leadership qualities of the Regional General Manager particularly for having human face in her dealings with the public and advised the concessionaires to refrain from engaging in press war over the matter
Chief Kpalikwu, however, admitted that he would feel bad if the concession is taken away from an indigene and given to an outsider in whatever guise but wants the proper channel to be followed.
The traditional ruler, however, urged the management of FAAN and the Ministry of Aviation to work hard to ensure that the remodeling project of the Port Harcourt International Airport is completed in view of the strategic importance of Port Harcourt to the economy of the country.
It would be recalled that two concessionaires at the airport had accused the Regional General Manager of throwing their things out to enable her reallocate the space to her favourite organisation under the pretence of renewal of operational documents.
They equally threatened to challenge the decision of the manager in court as they have documents which gave them approval to operate at the PHIA by FAAN headquarters in Lagos.

L-R: Kenya’s Cabinet Secretaries, Tourism, Mrs Philip Kandie, Transport, Mr Kamau Michael, Nigeria’s Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke and former supervising Minister for Avaition, Dr Samuel Ortom, inaugurating the maiden Kenya Airways Flight in Abuja, recently.