A former General Manager (GM) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Alhaji Abubakar Bibi, Sunday said that aviation agencies have no business in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said relocating them from Lagos which used to be their headquarters by the immediate former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, was a misnomer, noting that the chief executives of the agencies were expected to remain in Lagos where the largest chunk of aviation revenue was generated.
He noted that, “From my own personal opinion, I don’t think FAAN has any business to do in Abuja as headquarters because this (Lagos) is where the largest chunk of the revenue comes from. Why will you relocate them to Abuja? What for?”
It would be recalled that Sirika directed all the agencies to relocate their headquarters to Abuja in 2020.
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Bibi, a one-time Airport Manager for Ilorin International Airport, Sokoto, Gombe and Makurdi Airports before he retired in 2018, said the past administration had drawn back the industry by some of its decisions.
He spoke in a chat with Daily Trust even as he called on President Bola Tinubu to right the wrong in the industry by appointing a competent person as minister.
Bibi who is a former Executive Secretary of Bauchi State Tourism Board (BSTB), also hailed the appointment of George Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the federation (SGF) and Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff by the President, saying the new President whom he had met severally in the course of his career in FAAN has a knack for spotting talents.
He said he is convinced that he would replicate the same quality in aviation which requires a holistic repositioning.
He said, “The former Minister has succeeded in destroying aviation. How can you make appointments of board members the day you were leaving office after spending eight years without boards? Imagine the appointments were announced on the day of inauguration of a new government.
“From my own personal opinion, I don’t think FAAN has any business to do in Abuja as headquarters because this (Lagos) is where the largest chunk of the revenues come from. Why will you relocate them to Abuja? What for?”
He described the recent launch of Nigeria Air by the former Minister as a scam, noting that the Chairman of Ethiopian Airlines also resigned because of the scandal.
Bibi said the incoming Minister must sit down with airline operators and other players in designing any policy in order to encourage and support investments in the industry.
“So the new administration has to overhaul the entire system. Most of the appointments made were to cover up from certain issues. If the government wants to revive aviation, they have to carry the operators along.
“The entire aviation industry must be restructured. What happened under the last administration was nothing to write home about. What the President should do again is to look at the people who can handle that industry properly.
“If he appoints a Minister, the Minister should just sit down and say, ‘fine, let everybody bring his inputs’. I am sure by doing this, things would improve.
“But aviation now is a total mess. Mr. President should also investigate what happened with Nigeria Air. The contract for the second runway in Abuja should also be looked into. If not for the intervention of the unions and the operators, the former Minister wanted to demolish all the aviation agencies’ offices in Lagos.
“How can you do that? Like I said FAAN has nothing to do in Abuja? They are supposed to be in Lagos where the largest chunk of the revenues come from and I believe the President can appoint the right people to man the sector like he did with the appointment of SGF and the Chief of Staff.”
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