RE: FAAN CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS TO MOVE FROM ABUJA TO LAGOS

Thursday, January 18, 2024

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is aware of the questions some Nigerians have been asking about the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development’s (Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON) order to move FAAN’s corporate headquarters from Abuja to Lagos, where it has been operating for many years until recently.

The Authority and the nation decided that, for the time being, this was in the best interests of the Authority and Nigeria for the following reasons, after extensive consultations with stakeholders, including the Unions, as announced by FAAN.

1. Since there is not enough office space in Abuja for those impacted by the decision to relocate the headquarters, they have since moved back to Lagos. Moving the headquarters to Abuja when there was not a single FAAN building there big enough to house them all at once was a bad idea in the first place.
2. Since they are officially posted to Abuja, the Authority is obligated to pay them DTA (DUTY TOUR ALLOWANCE) for their return to Lagos, even though they are technically working OUT OF STATION. The Minister has made the decision to put an end to this misappropriation of funds and waste of public resources.
3. The Authority’s other option was to let the old FAAN building in Lagos decay and use its limited resources to pay millions of Naira in public money to rent an office space in Abuja, even though, considering the volume of passengers using the Lagos airports, more than 60% of its operations are actually conducted in Lagos. To avoid this waste and save the nation, the Minister and the stakeholders decided against it.
4. The Minister has announced plans to have concessionaires construct appropriate offices for the Authority in Lagos and Abuja. In the interim, the Authority will continue to operate out of its outdated building in Lagos, which can house all of its directors and senior officials.
5. ⁠Offices in Abuja are still fully operational, and the Authority has not lowered its activity levels there in the slightest. The location of the Authority’s “corporate headquarters” has only been decided upon technically; the current operational structure in both cities is unaffected.
6. A final decision regarding the permanent headquarters’ location will be made soon, contingent on the needs of the moment, once the Authority has constructed appropriate corporate buildings in both Lagos and Abuja.
7. The Authority wants to reassure the public that it will always act in the nation’s and the public’s best interests.
8. In particular, when it comes to decisions involving public funds, the Honorable Minister is dedicated to making the best decisions for the nation and will not back down from decisions that could undermine this commitment due to ethnic or sectarian sentiments.

Obiageli Orah (Mrs.)

Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection