FAAN Solicits for Palliative from the Federal Government
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Legislators at MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, being shown the architectural design of the taxiway under construction
Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has made a fervent appeal to the federal government for a palliative to hasten the airport manager’s recovery strategy from the debilitating effect of COVID-19, and also help in sustaining it’s growth trajectory hence, helping to quickly put behind the sordid effect of the pandemic on the agency.
Also, in an attempt to make judicious use of its revenue henceforth, and the palliative whenever it finally arrives, FAAN management had completed the automation of all its revenue points, and had succeeded in blocking leakages in its revenue and in other sundry financial and contractual dealings.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of FAAN, Capt. Hamisu Rabiu Yadudu, made the announcement while welcoming the House of Representatives Aviation committee members to his satellite office at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the new normal in the financial administration of the agency was the digital and online real-time financial transaction which had positively impacted the revenue collectables and even on the actuals collected.
He said that a lot of structural adjustments had taken place in-house to complement the cashless policy in force. Some of the steps taken according to Yadudu included the suspension of procurement of non-essential items, reduction to the barest minimum, all staff related cost, followed with an aggressive debt recovery drive, which he noted was initially hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Capt. further disclosed that “In keeping with our vision and mission, we have strategically positioned ourselves to ensure that we have modern and up-to-date high-tech equipment and facilities that will aid better security, safety and comfort of all stakeholders” he said.
Yadudu, a former manager of the flight crew, who now manages airport personnel through strategic thinking, volunteered a glimpse into airport administration saying, “I will like to say that aviation business is a global, technical and highly regulated with huge infrastructure requirements”, he opined.
He elucidated further with the following words, “it is necessary to reiterate that aviation business is driven by volumes and turn over with an operating profit margin of between 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent. Without the required volumes and traffic, it will be difficult to break even”, he explained.
Capt. Yadudu, however, reiterated his appeal for a palliative to serve as a shot in the arm for all aviation parastatals of government who had been terribly hit with the pandemic.
His advocacy for government intervention through bailout he chronicled thus, “the aviation agencies will urgently need intervention fund from the Federal Government to address infrastructural gaps and position the industry for better service delivery and contribution to the national economy”, he said.
Legislators Pat FAAN On the Back
At the project site for a first-hand assessment of the level of work at the new terminal, the Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, commended the management of FAAN for steps taken so far, to improve services for airlines, air travellers and other users of the airports nationwide.
The committee chairman expressed satisfaction with the progress on the projects so far. He said that there were improvements in the facilities at the airports as against what the committee saw on the last occasion they visited, despite the challenges of COVID-19, throughout the year 2020.
He, however, urged the management of FAAN to invest more in safety and security infrastructure.
Nnaji said, “the worst we had was the Covid-19 pandemic. We are happy that the industry is coming back. As you can see, a lot of things were abandoned because of the pandemic and now, contractors are coming back to site”.
On behalf of the entire legislators at the House of Representatives, the committee Chairman pronounced a vote of confidence on the management of FAAN thus, “Last year, we noticed that there was no connection between the old and the new terminal, but today, as you can see, they have done the connection”, he said.
Nnolim Nnaji, further enthused, “we are impressed with FAAN. Last year, there was no apron like this, but this year, we now have it. It goes to show that FAAN is working and moving forward. We are happy with FAAN and we are ready to support the industry to move forward”, he pledged.
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