Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the relocation of the headquarters and management of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos is not political as it would save federal government about N1billion yearly.
Keyamo stated this on the sidelines of the grand finale of 10th Edition of the Aviation Workers’ Week and Award Night (AWWAN) which held in Abuja yesterday.
The minister said in 2023 alone workers of the agency spent close to N1 billion as DTAs and shuttling between Lagos and Abuja, an amount he said, would now be saved simply because all decision makers would now be in one location following the relocation.
“I am sure you saw my interview recently where I explained the situation thoroughly. And I am sure our brothers from some parts of the country would understand.
I think it was just that they did not understand what we were trying to do before.
In fact, I had to do the figures which I told the management of FAAN to give to us, that in tickets alone we paid about more than N450 Million because of lack of coordination, lack of being in one decisions making place. And in Basic Traveling Allowances (BTAs) alone we paid about N493 million in 2023 alone, making nearly N1 billion that we paid, just because all the decision makers cannot be one place. They don’t have to be shuttling back and forth carrying files to and from Abuja. They don’t have to do that. I only need to see the Managing Director here when I need her. The MD will only come to Abuja on the invitation of the Minister to brief him on the issues going on” he said.