The Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian has vowed to ensure stiffer sanctions to curb any act of extortion at the airports.
FAAN Managing Director, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, made this known when he addressed newsmen on Monday in Abuja after the authority`s management meeting.
According to him, such development will improve the integrity of the nation`s airports and Nigeria’s reliability among the comity of nations.
“We plan to have a meeting with the airports regional managers and the Head of Departments (HODs). After the meeting with the HODs, they will meet with their stakeholders then the agencies.
“ Primary, to inform them that henceforth any violator will lose his or her ODC (on duty card) which means you lose your access card to the terminal.
“And we agreed that once you lose your ODC at the airport, you will not get it back. If it is a company, we will advise them to get a new staff. If it is an agency, we will advise them to get another personnel,“ he said.
The managing director said that any staff that lost his ODC would permanently lose his right and privilege to come to the airport terminal.
Yadudu added that the management further agreed that all personnel working in the airport, either private or government, ought to boldly write his or her name on the chest of the uniform for ease of visibility.
He said those whose names were not boldly written henceforth would lose their jobs.
The managing director said the stakeholders would soon be properly informed about the new development regarding violator`s penalties.
He urged all airport users to send messages of any wrong actions to a new WhatsApp number that would be available shortly.
“If you see the name of the person (violator), put his name and the act of violation. We will get back to you through your number.
“The sanction will be permanent. This is just the beginning of our strategy. If anyone loses his or her job I, think he or she will not try evil again.
“You can see we have all relevant officers here, all the regional managers, security chiefs are here, and leaders of operation are here. So, the implementation is immediate, “ he said.
Yadudu said the management would keep improving the rules and regulations at the airports to further strengthen the safety and security of the air transport system.
Contributing, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, who also attended the FAAN management meeting, said addressing extortion in the airport required a holistic approach.
Oduwole urged the airport users to make use of the new app that the presidency would also make available by downloading it.
She said anyone could easily pass urgent massages, either good or bad that emanated at any airport in Nigeria with immediate response.
Oduwole said there was a need to have an accountability mechanism to strengthen the aviation system across the country.
“Nigerians, public sectors, private sector, everybody including the media should help us by making the complaints. We need that feedback.
“There is an app. You can download it, the app covers all the airports. All the airports are mentioned in that app. That information comes straight to the presidency and FAAN, among others.
“Please get the name, and that specific agency of anyone found extorting passengers.
”Several agencies are working at the airports, immigration, customs, and NDLEA, among others,“ she said.
According to her, it helps if one can get the name and the agency in order to go straight to where the matters are or the root of the problem.
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