Aviation
…Tasks Airlines On Debts’ Clearance
The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr Saleh Dunoma, has urged airlines operators to pay the authority all outstanding debts owed her.
He said that FAAN, as a parastatal of the Federal Government, depended on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for maintenance and semi-capital projects.
Dunoma who made this known when he hosted members of the Senate Committee on Aviation on a working visit in Lagos, said that the authority was experiencing a lot of problems due to the dwindling capacity of airlines to handle passengers.
He said that passengers were often distressed, and that this created problem for the authority, adding that they need the assistance and support of the Senate in order to improve service delivery in the aviation industry.
The FAAN boss appealed to the committee to assist the authority in getting dedicated power lines, pointing out that this will go a long way in addressing the issue of incessant power outage at the airports, which he said had been a huge source of concern to the authority.
He also appealed to the Senate Committee for assistance in appropriation to connect the existing terminal of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport with the new terminal being constructed by the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC).
The Senate committee which was led by Ibu Na’alah, however, apologised on behalf of the chairman of the committee, Senator Mohammad Adamu Alero, who was unavoidably absent.
He said that their visit to Lagos was not to indict anyone or engage in marathon inspection of airport facilities, but to have an honest heart-to-heart talk with chief executives and to see how the sector could be moved forward.
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Aviation Professionals Want Agencies Boards’ Inauguration
As a measure to curb corruption and restore accountability, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), has called on the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to push for the urgent formation and inauguration of governing boards for all other aviation agencies.
ANAP’s Secretary General, AbdulRasaq Saidu, made this call at the weekend when interacting with aviation correspondents, in reaction to recent inauguration of Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Keyamo had recently inaugurated the FAAN board, more than six months after its members were appointed by President Bola Tinubu, where Dr. Umar Ganduje was named Board Chairman, with FAAN’s Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, as the Vice Chairman.
Other board members include representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Defence, Tourism, and Aviation, as well as professionals from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, and FAAN’s legal department.
The ANAP scribe there urged the aviation Minister not to stop at FAAN but to ensure that all aviation parastatals are given functional boards to restore order and credibility to the sector.
He, however, commended Keyamo for recently inaugurating the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria but stressed that more needed to be done.
Saidu also warned that the continued delay in constituting boards for other aviation agencies creates room for unchecked abuses, including illegal contracts, fraudulent employment practices, and mismanagement.
“The absence of governing boards violates the enabling Acts that established these agencies. Only properly constituted boards can enforce discipline, ensure due process in decision-making, and provide oversight to prevent corruption”, Saidu said.
He emphasised that the aviation unions, including ANAP, have consistently raised concerns about poor governance and lack of transparency within the aviation system.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to act swiftly by appointing board members for all relevant agencies, in the interest of fairness and aviation safety.
Saidu also tackled the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, for failing to inaugurate any boards during his eight-year tenure, despite appointments being made by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“ANAP raised the alarm several times under Sirika’s leadership, but nothing changed. That lapse has continued under the current administration, and it must be addressed now”, Saidu stated.
By: Corlins Walter
