The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has revealed its intention to stop its 25 percent revenue contribution to the federal government’ account.
The Agency claimed that the Lagos and Abuja airports are the only profitable airports in the country, adding that other airports are being sustained by the duo airports.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, made this known on Sunday, March 7, during the oversight function of the Senate Committee on Aviation.
According to Yadudu, if the 25 per cent contribution ends, it will ensure development of the aviation sector as revenue will be put back into airports.
The captain while stating that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) are sustaining other airports in the country, lamented that the global economic challenge caused by covid-19 has affected airline operators causing them to reduce fleet, frequencies or totally withdraw operations thereby reducing revenue generated by the agency.
He also disclosed that a lot of airlines, are owing FAAN. He mentioned that a particular airline owes N13 billion for services rendered and unpaid for.
Yadudu said; “On the capacity and contribution of airports to revenue generation, it is the MMIA and Abuja that mainly supports other airports. The industry is still having infrastructural gap to stabilize, therefore, government’s support in stabilizing the industry is needed. This can be achieved by suspending the contributions to the Federation Account in compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices (SARPs) Doc 9562 on airport generation which provides that: Revenue generated by the airport should be transparently re-invested wholly in operating and developing airport facilities”.
Reacting, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi, said, they will have to re-edit the Constitution to stop the contribution from being made.
Adeyemi said; “The MD has been talking to us on aviation, especially FAAN, to be able to keep a good percentage of its resources generated internally. I have nothing against that. For me, I feel it is good to keep so to be able to carry out the ever increasing need to maintain standards and to update the facilities of the industry but again these are issues that border on constitutional provisions as money must be appropriated for.”
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