The Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN has expressed worry over the dwindling revenue of the agency following the continued lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Company Secretary and Legal Adviser, FAAN, Dr. Clifford Omozeghian,who disclosed this to newsmen monitoring the lockdown at the Murtala Mohammed Airport Ikeja, said, FAAN Management would liaise with the Federal government to see how the issue of revenue generation would be addressed to meet up with airport infrastructure challenge.
Dr. Omozeghian explained that only recently April salaries of FAAN
workers was paid saying that it was the directive of the federal
government that workers salaries should be paid and to take care of
other key critical projects in the aviation industry.
“Revenue for FAAN has dwindled drastically, management will liaise
with the Federal Government to see how this issue of revenue
generation would be taken care of because it may be difficult to pay
salaries but I know that a fact that with the federal government on
our side, certain measures will be put in place.
“Federal Government has said salaries must be paid and that is a key
instruction from the FG and that will be taken care of as much as
possible and that has been done.”
Dr. Omozeghian noted that with the global problem, the global economy
is in recession and FAAN is not excluded as it generates its revenue.
He expressed optimism that the present situation would be quickly
taken care of so that FAAN would not have issues with the payment of
salaries and taking care of very key critical projects that are
essential in the aviation industry.
The FAAN Company Secretary and Legal Adviser, explained that FAAN
would continue to provide services to approved airlines during the
period of lockdown adding that evacuation of nationals of some
countries have been carried out at various times.
“We had Europeans, we had Americans, and we had British citizens,citizens of various nationals being evacuated at various times.
Because we render essential services, some of our key staff has been
on ground rendering these services ensuring that these flights and
their operations are smooth and there is easy take off and landing and
these have been some of the activities we have been carrying out and
everything has been smooth.”
He said the management of FAAN had given out palliatives to essential
staff that come to work every day in order to make them happy at this
critical time adding that the process of distribution was still
ongoing.