FAAN Union Leaders Accuse Aviation Minister of Secret Airport Concession Deals

Union leaders of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have accused the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, of secretly conducting concessions. This, they said, violates existing union regulations.

According to a Monday report by Sahara Reporters, the alleged covert deals entailed Keyamo making “unilateral decisions in the absence of a governing board for aviation parastatals.”

Such decisions have reportedly led to concerns bordering on transparency and due process in the aviation sector.

Similarly, the union leaders alleged that FAAN’s procurement department had been relocated to the Office of the Managing Director, an office under Olubunmi Kuku.

According to them, the move was seen as causing a power struggle and increasing chances for corruption.

Keyamo is now following in the footsteps of former Aviation Minister Hadi Abubakar Sirika, who ‘abused his office and single-handedly made decisions without the input of stakeholders,’ a source within FAAN told Sahara Reporters.

“If we have a board of directors, it will go a long way. You know, some of the permissions that need to be taken from the minister will not be necessary. Part of the reason why Sirika could abuse his office and take advantage of the lack of a board is what we are seeing again now,” the source added.

Sirika was involved in multiple corrupt deals which were exposed in a series of investigative reports by West Africa Weekly‘s Editor-in-Chief, David Hundeyin, including the shady deal with Ethiopian Airlines to build a now-defunct airline dubbed ‘Nigeria Air.’

The aftermath of the reports led to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigating Sirika and other accomplices, a position the FAAN labour leaders now believe the current minister is toeing.

Read Also: Plan To Establish ‘Nigeria Air’ Ended Due To Politicisation – CEO Ethiopian Airlines

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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