The Honorable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN revealed that the decision to move the Head Office of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos would save the government N943 million.
Speaking on Friday at the 10th Edition of the Aviation Workers Week and Award night in Abuja, the Minister lamented that the government paid close to N1 billion on the staff of FAAN just moving from Lagos to Abuja for meetings and back to Lagos in 2023.
“I am sure you saw my interview recently where I explained the situation thoroughly. And I am sure our brothers from some parts of the country would understand. I think it was just that they did not understand what we were trying to do before.
“In fact, I had to do the figures, which I told the management of FAAN to give to us, that in tickets alone we paid about more than N450 Million because of the lack of coordination, lack of being in one decision-making place. And in Basic Traveling Allowances (BTAs) alone, we paid about N493 million in 2023 alone, making nearly N1 billion that we paid, just because all the decision-makers cannot be in one place.”
Keyamo explained that the staff of FAAN “don’t have to be shuttling back and forth carrying files to and from Abuja. They don’t have to do that. I only need to see the Managing Director here when I need her. The MD will only come to Abuja on the invitation of the Minister to brief him on the issues going on,” the Minister stated.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Joint Consultative and Negotiating Council, organizers of the Aviation week events, Comrade Hector Nnamdi said the 2024 Aviation Week focused on Key Performance Index (KPI) and Key Performance Results (KPRs) that are achievable through workers’ support and collaborations.
“Once again, Honourable Minister, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. You may wish to note that we have assembled a team of seasoned professionals and Aviation analysts to examine and highlight the roles of Aviation Workers in actualizing a prosperous Aviation industry of our dream.
“At the end of deliberations today, we shall raise a Communique which shall be escalated to your esteemed office for further consideration,” Nnamdi stated.
By Tyavzua Saanyol
