FAAN suspends staff over fraud

The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has suspended three staffers of the agency, following their involvement in  a fraud running into millions of naira.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives, having stepped into the matter, have subsequently,  detained the prime suspects.

The affected staff ,who before their suspension, worked at the finance department, were found to have diverted the agency’s funds into different accounts of staff and others over certain period of time until they were discovered by the management.

Before now, the management of FAAN upon  discovery,  set up a committee, which investigated the major suspect, who promptly named others involved in the fraud and they were swiftly suspended.

According to the information gathered, it  was when the committee drilled the main suspect who confessed that some of the monies were sent to her brother’s accounts, which prompted the management to further invite more suspects who were subsequently suspended.

FAAN has also concluded  the plan to set up audit team to further investigate the general financial transaction in the department.

The objective of the audit, according to FAAN, is to carry out investigation on the activities of the personnel in the accounts and commercial departments, to close all loopholes on the sources of revenues and to ensure that all revenues are captured and accounted for.

FAAN ,has however, said that after the audit that it would further modernise its accounting system, explore new ways to boost revenues and also to continuously monitor  the  activities of its personnel involved in revenue generation and accounting.

It expressed the hope that EFCC would unravel the details of the fraud, punish those involved and also work with  the  management to forestall such from happening again.

The agency said it was laden with huge responsibility to effectively manage the airports, fund the rehabilitation of many airport terminals and also complete on going work at some of the airport facilities under construction.

It also said it was committed to the welfare of its workforce, to pay the workers when their salaries and allowances are due and to continue to improve on their welfare.

After the audit, FAAN said it would adopt a policy of rotating its personnel in the accounts and commercial departments every two years so that no person would stay in one unit for more than that period of time,  adding that people think of perpetrating fraud  when they stay too long in one post.