Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, has said there is no going back on the planned move of the headquarters of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos.
Keyamo, who described opposition to the move as “a storm in a teacup”, pointed out that over 100 staff of FAAN operated from Lagos, with a handful, consisting of top directors, in Abuja.
Speaking on Wednesday on Channels Politics Today, Keyamo disclosed that the call for the relocation of the agency to Lagos predated his appointment as aviation minister.
He explained that the headquarters of an organisation did not necessarily mean the largest building or place with the highest number of staff. He said it was, rather, where “the decision makers sit”, stating, “They are all in Lagos, they are not really in Abuja.”
Keyamo said leaders of the agency had approached him on assumption of office to address their challenges, “They came to me to say some of the directors are here, but the support staff don’t have a place to stay; you see them fly everyday to and from Lagos/ Abuja”.
Lamenting that the problem of FAAN was compounded by lack of digitalisation of the agency, the minister disclosed that FAAN spent close to half a billion naira on tickets yearly.
“N450 million on tickets alone? I shouted,” he exclaimed.
Keyamo stated that the relocation would further enhance the operational efficiency of FAAN, as the old building can adequately attend to the accommodation challenge being faced in Abuja. He added that as minister he hardly met with the Managing Director of FAAN more than once in a week.
“We are going ahead,” he maintained, stating that the movement is not movement of materials or persons, but one of re-designation.
Keyamo also spoke on other issues in the aviation sector. He said the sector was all about agreement and the ministry under his leadership had commenced efforts to enter into relevant agreements and partnerships, both with foreign and local investors, with a view to making the sector one of the best in Africa.
According to him, the starting point is the creation of a master plan that would turn Nigeria to the aviation hub of Africa. He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, as part of efforts to transform the sector, had established a special intervention fund with the sum of over N40 billion earmarked in the 2024 budget.
The minister said the fund would be expended on navigational equipment, like the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACOM), among others.
Keyamo disclosed that a technical committee would be inaugurated next week to draw up a master plan for the aviation sector through which his vision would be sold to investors across the globe. He said plans were already on for a Canadian firm to equip all the country’s airports with free Wi-Fi.
The minister disclosed that he was already in talks with the Minister of Justice to create conducive legal frameworks that would make the aviation sector attractive to foreign investors. He said he would not allow certain current concessional agreements hinder his plan for the sector, especially agreements entered into over the years but yet to have any meaningful impact on the sector and the country.
He stated, “No court matter or concessionary agreement can hold me down. I will not allow any concessionary agreement to hold me down or hold the progress of the nation down.”
He also spoke of partnership with insurance companies to handle the challenge of flight delays and cancellation in the country. According to him, once there is a delay or cancellation, the insurance companies “will buy the tickets from passengers” and see how they can later recover their money from the airline.
Keyamo added that the ministry was working towards compelling airlines to give rebates as a form of compensation for delay or cancellation.
He said going forward the ministry will compile the list of airlines in the habit of flight delays and cancellations for necessary action.
On the national carrier, the minister, who avoided comments on the failed national carrier on the grounds that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was currently investigating the matter, stressed that no local airline would be adopted as a national carrier.
“I am saying it as a matter of policy…we will establish a proper national carrier,” he said, adding that efforts are on to get a better deal this time.
Alex Enumah
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