The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, has issued an order for the relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.
The directive, revealed by the authority’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, Mrs. Obiageli Orah follows discussions involving the new management of FAAN, stakeholders and unions, aimed at prioritising the well-being of the country’s citizens.
FAAN outlined the following reasons for the decision, as shared by Orah:
Employees affected by the initial decision to move the headquarters to Abuja have returned to Lagos due to the lack of office space in Abuja. The relocation was deemed unwise from the start, given the absence of a suitable FAAN building in Abuja to accommodate the entire staff at once.
With the return to Lagos, the Authority would be obligated to pay Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) to these employees working out of station, considering their official posting to Abuja. The minister aims to halt the wasteful expenditure of public resources and protect the public purse.
The alternative of abandoning the old FAAN building in Lagos to decay while expending substantial resources on renting office space in Abuja was rejected. More than 60 per cent of FAAN’s activities occur in Lagos due to the high passenger volume at Lagos airports. The stakeholders and the minister opted to avoid this wasteful scenario.
The minister has unveiled plans to engage concessionaires to construct suitable offices for the authority in both Lagos and Abuja. Until this is accomplished, FAAN will manage its existing building in Lagos, capable of accommodating all its directors and senior officials for the time being.
Despite the relocation of the corporate headquarters, full operational offices in Abuja remain unaffected and the authority has not downscaled its operations in the city. The technical decision on the ‘corporate headquarters’ location has been made without altering the current operational structure in both cities.
In the future, a final decision on the permanent headquarters location will be made based on the prevailing circumstances once appropriate corporate buildings are constructed in both Lagos and Abuja.
FAAN assured the public that it will continue to act in the best interest of the country and its citizens. Keyamo remained committed to decisions that prioritise the nation’s well-being and public funds, steadfastly resisting any ethnic or sectional sentiments that may compromise this commitment.
