WHY IS THE NIGERIAN AVIATION MINISTER RUNNING F.A.A.N AGROUND?

That is the billion dollar question on the lips of watchers of the aviation industry. For by all accounts it seems the minister is letting her personal relationship get in the way of her official duties or how else can one account for the gross insubordination that presently exists where the FAAN MD has become so powerful that he flaunts court and ministerial orders and the minister, his boss, can not fire him or even call him to order ?

Take the issue of waivers. We are reliable informed that the FAAN MD, Richard Aisuebeogon has been issue waivers to some importers to the tune of hundreds of millions arbitrarily despite governments order to the contrary and he goes further to blame it on the concessionaires which caused a shortfall in expected government revenue and a reason why he has sidelined them to do the jobs themselves. And what a job they are doing.
Said a source,
‘Richard Aisuebeogun wrote letters to them instructing that they ensure the waivers that he granted are carried but he is now using that as an excuse to dump them.’

Sources say since FAAN took over cargo handling at the international airport, revenue has nose dived drastically and they have not been able to meet targets because they are incompetent to do the job as various regulations for effectiveness have been thrown aside because of man know man and the desire by the FAAN top brass to keep excess funds to themselves. A ministerial order to hand over cargo handling to the government licensed concessionaire has not been obeyed by the FAAN MD. And no query has been forthcoming from her office. So also are different other instructions concerning other stakeholders at our airports. The FAAN MD treats all matters as personal and only takes action on what suits him.

Take the issue of the court action filed by DR Wale Babalakin , the concessionaire of MM2. despite advice to the contrary the FAAN md continues to pursue the matter plummeting the authority into huge legal fees while Dr. Babalakin is represented for free by lawyers from his law firm. We hear there are other such cases in court against FAAN that could have been resolved had the MD only but followed instructions and acted rightly. The Ministers attention has been brought to ll these but she continues to look the other way, again people say because her of personal relationship with the FAAN MD. How stubborn and arrogant can a guy be.


You must have heard about the scandal concerning the handling of the 3D body scanners recently installed at the Lagos Airport which is the subject of an on going probe of the conduct of FAAN staff. Three companies quoted for those machines. Two of them had experience and had ground staff with technical training to handle and service the machines. They were AVIAONICS NIG LTD, owned by Babo Babatunde AND SAFEQUIP Nig Ltd, run by Abayomi Jolaoso. In the wake of the Muttalab bombing saga, sources say Bayo did free spin doctoring for FAAN and even donated hand held body scanners to FAAN for its operations in about five airports. He thought the deal was in the bag. He was in for a shocker. When the federal executive council released the dollars hurriedly for the purchase of the 3D body scanners, Richard took the fastest plane to Rapiscan factory in American to buy the 3D body scanners himself.
A source said,

‘He had no business doing that, but who will question his authority. FAAN does not have the technical staff to handle those machines. If they are having problems with the older machines how much less these newer , more complex models that are erratic when any fluctuations such as power surge occurs’.

FAAN’s decision to take over cleaning and maintenance of the airports has been described as faulty; the work being done is shoddy. The toilets are not clean, conveyor belts break down at will, airconditioners are not working as they should and the toilets not clean.

There have been several allegations of bribe taking between FAAN and the Aviation ministry but close watchers say it runs deeper than that between the minister and the FAAN MD.

‘What they have going is something more personal. Its not natural that the managing director of a parastatal can have the boldness and effrontery to go against his boss if there relationship is strictly official’.

Another FAAN source said,

‘We are tired of the whole affair. Nobody here is enjoying but the people at the top. With all they money they are making, they find it hard to pay us salaries not to talk of benefits that we should be enjoying’.

The man at the centre of the storm is not bothered by the hoopla he is generating and the multiplying effects on FAAN.

A source revealed that he does not care what happens to him tomorrow as he has already made his billions. How sad.