Three years after Captain Rabiu Yadudu took over the leadership of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), SHOLA ADEKOLA writes on his achievements, challenges before him and expectations from stakeholders.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is the Federal Government’s agency responsible for running and managing the government’s 24 airports spread across the country through the provisions of critical components like infrastructure, safety and security networks.
At the center of this herculean task is Captain Rabiu Yadudu and his management team which just clocked three years in office. Stakeholders, while commending his efforts despite the myriad of challenges confronting the organisation, have called on him to tackle many lingering critical problems which he inherited.
According to key players, Yadudu-led management came onboard to inherit an already troubled FAAN struggling for survival as a result of many crisis ranging from infrastructural decay such as obsolete facilities, airport porousity, insecurity, old conveyor belts, dilapidated buildings, lack of safety facilities like perimeter fences and airfield lighting at the Lagos airport for close to 15 years, indebtedness, lingering crisis over poor agreements with concessionaires and many others.
Key players set targets
Comrade Olayinka Abioye, one of the renowned aviation labour leaders who rose to become the General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), in his assessment of the three years of the present FAAN management, while commending the leadership skills and astuteness of Yadudu, said that though government was a continuum and that since he rose from being the Director of Operations in FAAN, he automatically inherited all the assets and liabilities of the organisation.
According to Abioye, “Since he assumed office, he has quietly engaged in addressing the continued growth and development of his organisation to meet with its vision and mission. In this regard, he has concentrated in the completion of infrastructure such as the remodeling projects of terminals, etc. We must commend his leadership skills and astuteness in this regard.”
For the Managing Director of Centurion Aviation Security Services and a member of the Aviation Round Table Group, Captain John Ojikutu (retired), “Much as I see the FAAN Managing Director trying to perform, the problem of FAAN is inadequate earnings from the services provided to the operators to support and sustain the critical services to the consumers. Remove the earnings from the foreign airlines operations and the Nigerian commercial aviation market will collapse within six months judging by the earnings from the international and domestic passengers and air traffic figures available at FAAN.
“In the last three years, the FAAN reported earnings has not reached N100 billion. The revenues from the 20 federal airports surely should be more than double that amount. You need adequate revenues to provide critical services for the sector especially for their periodic maintenance to be able to meet global standards.
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“Yadudu told us not too long ago that he intends to raise the FAAN annual earnings to N188 billion this year. This to me will be about 80-90 per cent increase from the previous years and I am solidly behind him on this and more can even be achieved. Though it has taken him three years to realise this, let us see him come out with this work that would have been achieved as 30 per cent increase in earnings for each of the three years he has served.”
Expectations
For Comrade Abioye, “The truth facing all of us today is that FAAN has been damaged beyond redemption unless and until we put politics aside and squarely address the challenges we are faced with. Writing this saddens me because if you take a trip to MMIA, Lagos, you will be confronted with humongous dilapidation of infrastructures.
“The lifts are unserviceable and where it is serviceable, they function erratically. Power is not stable and can be off for hours on end. The cooling system is in bad shape, at least Nigerians must have watched a pitiable picture through one amateur video of a woman complaining bitterly about cooking system in MMIA and this is a fact.
“Aside this, major baggage processing areas within the building are in critical condition so much that handling companies who process passengers luggages do so under very harsh and despicable conditions. The place is water-logged, system works abysmally and cooling system does not get there.
“There are roofing leakages up to the sixth floor, such that buckets are being used to safeguard their files and prevent water from getting into offices. Unfortunately, these areas may not mean anything significant to FAAN management because passengers hardly venture beyond the second floor of the six floor edifice.
“Operationally, for about 10 years or thereabout, there had been serious clamour for the replacement of the runway lighting system on Runway 18L. We have been told that it will be addressed but when you consider how much fuel aircraft burn and funds wasted on taxing from the domestic wing to international or evening flights on both legs, you will sympathise with airline operators even though they have the means and or the power to raise the alarm, they are also playing politics by remaining silent and suffering.
“FAAN must put pressure and prevail on the government to find what I will term curative measures to scarcity of aviation fuel through collaboration with the airlines, the NNPC and the supervising ministry. Nigeria and FAAN in particular can run a successful business if it makes up its mind to, but will it?
Setting targets for Yadudu, Ojikutu said, “It will also be to his achievements if the airfield lighting of the second runway at the Lagos airport that has been left undone in 14 years is done in his time after three MDs before him and I believe other airports will benefit from his initiatives and achievements.
“The restructuring of the passengers terminal buildings may not be attributed to his achievements; the lack of maintenance of the terminal buildings are attributed to inadequate funding and that is probably the reasons for him wanting to increase the revenue earnings by almost 100 per cent. Don’t forget also that the Ministry of Finance is insisting that from this year on, it will collect 25 per cent of the MDAs revenue earnings. To submit to the finance ministry demands and sustain the critical services for aviation stakeholders and meet the global standards, more revenues are needed not by increasing the prices or rates but by closing the loopholes and mopping up the wastage even before the expected airports’ concessions to be able to get appropriate values.
“As much as I know that the present management is trying, there have been a number of negative assessments than positive before it. Periodic maintenance of airports critical infrastructure is paramount for their operations. For instance, if airports landing aids are not regularly maintained, the operations of the airports will be limited only to day flights and not good in weather. These limit the number of airlines flights daily. Not more than five airports have runway lights. Why can’t there be flights to at least 50 per cent of the 20 federal airports up till 10pm?
“There had been no progression in the careers of the staff and the developmental trainings have not improved their services beyond General Manager or Deputy General Manager.”
Achievements
Despite the numerous challenges and expectations of the key players, some of the achievements recorded under the management included, the automation of Murtala Muhammed Airport’s Hajj/Cargo Terminal access gate which has brought sanity and accountability to the system.
The recent health accreditation of the four Nigerian airports by the Airports Council International (ACI) is a positive note just as the ongoing construction work of the Cargo Terminal at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State.
Other achievements included; the recent training of 121 aviation security officers in FAAN; resumption of international flights at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu by Ethiopian Airlines; certification of FAAN training school for trainer plus programme by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) and the ongoing construction of perimeter road for security/operation inspections and runway markings at the Margret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar.
Commissioning of the new terminal at the Lagos airport with the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lagos State government for the new airport; Alimosho Bypass Project (AABP), a four-phase project to decongest the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and the recent winning of the ACI-Africa HR Excellence Awards 2021 as Diversity and Gender Equality, Competency Building and Sustainability at the 67th ACI-Africa conference and exhibition in Mombasa, Kenya, are also part of the positive efforts recorded under the Yadudu-led management.
and then