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Slams FAAN over Staff’s Corrupt Practices
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Threatens to Sack Airport Officials
- Safiu Kehinde
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has declared end to VIP treatment and free passage of government officials at airports access gate across the country, especially in Abuja.
Keyamo made this known during his inspection exercise on the introduced hybrid payment system at the access gates following President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of the full implementation of cashless policy.
NPO Reported that Tinubu had last week ordered the suspension of the Go Cashless initiative at the airports after it backfired as heavy traffics and cases of delayed flight were reported in major airports across the country.
Speaking on the reason behind the initial implementation of the cashless policy, Keyamo disclosed that the decision was borne out of the deadline issued to him by the President as he decried the corrupt practices observed under the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)- controlled cash payment system.
The Minister slammed FAAN over the corrupt practices perpetrated by its officials under the cash payment policy as he threatened to sack erring airport officials before the President sacks him.
“Mr. President gave me a deadline. He was very clear that I have a deadline. He said ‘Minister of Aviation, you have a deadline to go fully cashless. And the moment Mr. President has pushed me; I will also push those under me.
“Before Mr. President sacks me, I will sack other people too. Because before now, I left the implementation fully to FAAN.
“And so, the nitty gritty were worked out by FAAN. But as Minister, I take full responsibility because I will not leave my fate in the hand of any other person and that’s why I’m here today to take my own fate into my hands to see how they are implementing the hybrid system.
“But guess what? This will not last because it brings corruption for us to continue to collect cash. I will not allow it.
“It has been happening in the last 50 years that FAAN collects cash in all their points, and some people are used to that corrupt system. These people are trouble, FAAN. They are in my soup already.” He said.
Keyamo thereafter decried the preferential treatment of government officials who are largely allowed free access at the airports.
He charged the airport officials to stop the reserved treatment and ensure everybody pays the access fee irrespective of their position.
“We must not do VIP here again because half of our revenue goes to VIP that just pass without paying- ministers like us, National Assembly members, members of all kinds of agencies.
“Everybody is a big man in Abuja and Nigeria. That is the problem.
“To be honest, there is hardly anybody that you will see in Abuja that does not have the Federal Government logo printed on their business card.
“They will all want to come and pass free at the airport. Everybody is a big man in Abuja and I say no, we can’t do that.” He added.