Business Post Contributor
By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel
The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Rabiu Yadudu, has said that the authority will execute stiffer sanctions against violators to curb the issue of extortion by airport officials.
Mr Yadudu disclosed this on Monday, November 8, 2021, in Abuja, after the authority`s management meeting, noting that such a miscreant act is detrimental to the integrity of the nation`s airports and Nigeria’s reliability.
The action also responded to the concerns raised by stakeholders, passengers, and others over extortion at airports from officials and some agencies.
He disclosed that, henceforth, any official caught would lose his or her On Duty Card (ODC), which means such personnel will no longer have the privilege to access the airport terminal.
“And we agreed that once you lose your ODC at the airport, you will not get it back. If it is a company, we will advise them to get a new staff. If it is an agency, we will advise them to get another personnel,” he said.
According to him, the management further agreed to instruct all personnel working in the airport to have their name boldly written on the chest of the uniform in such a way that it can be easily seen.
He said a new number would be disclosed soon where airport users can send messages of reports in any event of extortion or wrong action, providing the name of the violator and other credible information of the situation.
“If you see the name of the person (violator), put his name and the act of violation. We will get back to you through your number.
“The sanction will be permanent. This is just the beginning of our strategy. If anyone loses their job I, think they will not try evil again,” he said.
Mr Yadudu said that the implementation of these measures by the management is immediate as it plans to meet with the airports’ regional managers and the Head of Departments (HODs), after which they will meet with their stakeholders and then the agencies.
Recently, an American vlogger known as Sabbatical described the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos as “extremely corrupt” because some officials were asking him for bribes.
