In the midst of the controversy surrounding the Federal Government’s plan to relocate the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, from Abuja to Lagos, Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has proclaimed that the decision is final.
On Wednesday, the minister spoke on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
Platinum Times Nigeria reportd that , Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South, as well as leaders of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, and other northern groupings, opposed the proposals.
According to them, the move of FAAN headquarters and other divisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos was an attempt to marginalize the north.
When asked about the controversy, Keyamo merely stated, “We are going ahead. “The directive has been issued.”
According to Keyamo, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that FAAN is not yet digitalized, therefore they spend half a billion naira on a flight between Lagos and Abuja alone in one year.
“You see them flying every day to and fro Abuja to get one file signed. They fly every day, back and forth. In one year, they spent close to half a billion naira on flight tickets. N450 million on flight tickets alone,” he said.