The House of Representatives has directed the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to mandate the relevant authorities to exempt members of the Armed Forces from tollgate fees and parking payments in airports nationwide.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Rep. Abdussamad Dasuki at plenary on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, he said members of the Armed Forces were subjected to paying for access to airports where they were also expected to protect citizens and foreigners alike whether or not they are on duty and even while they were passengers themselves.
He recalled that the minister of Aviation was reported to have announced on May 14 that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the cancellation of all exemptions on airport access payments for VIPs in Nigeria due to the huge revenue losses they caused to the federal government.
He noted that the minister would implement the decision of the FEC by sending out circulars to relevant authorities in a matter of days.
Rep. Dasuki said, “It is important to show gratitude by honouring our brothers and sisters who are voluntarily serving under our flag, putting in their active years to keep our nation safe with some losing their lives, and some becoming disabled from the battlefield amidst other effects.”
The House adopted the motion and directed its Committee on Aviation to ensure compliance with the directive.
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