FAAN moves to rid airports of corrupt practices – Official

Mr Sani Mahmud, Regional Manager, Northern Operation, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), says the authority is committed rid all Nigerian airports of corrupt practices and other vices.

Mahmud, who is also the Manager, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, stated this during a Sensitisation Campaign by FAAN’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the campaign was part of the strategies put in place by FAAN to awaken the consciousness of its staff on the need to shun corruption while carrying out their official duties.

Mahmud said that Abuja airport, being the gateway to the nation’s capital needed to be a flagship airport in the fight against corruption in aviation sector.

He added that the agency had also put necessary measures in place to ensure that everyone working at the airport community was not compromised to indulge in corrupt practices.

The manager said the workers in the airport needed to carry out their duties with integrity and in accordance with the ethics and rules of the organisation and the laws of the country.

“In December 2017, we also invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to sensitise the airport community and today we have the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) here.

“In every society, there are people that conform to the law and there are also people that do not conform and as you know, airport is a community.

“So, airport, being a society, you observe a lot of things like touting and sometimes people get caught with money but all we do is to inform the relevant authorities.

“In all of this, we make sure that our staff is not involved because all fear is the insider’s threat.

“That is the reason we will continue to sensitise our people,’’ he said.

Mahmud also disclosed that the installation of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) was 90 per cent completed in the whole of Abuja airport, adding that over 80 cameras had so far been deployed.

He assured that all the scanners at all entry points in the airport were functional and serviceable.

The Representative of ICPC, Mr Japhet Udeani, said the essence of the programme was to educate the airport workers on the fight against corruption as well as the need for ethical conduct and transparency.

Udeani said that airport workers were the first contact with foreigners, being the gateway to the nation.

He said ICPC had done corruption risk assessment and came to the conclusion that there are cases of open corruption in the aviation sector.

“Right now, there is improvement because you don’t get to hear much about touting and extortion of money from passengers.

“ACTU is not meant to be police in any agency, they are resident in every MDAs and their work is to discourage corruption and report any case detected to the relevant agency,’’ he said.

Earlier, Mrs Bola Fawehinmi, Deputy General Manager, Administration, FAAN, urged staff to be loyal to their organisations and the country and to display ethical conduct and integrity.

Fawehinmi also advised airport workers to always refuse to be compromised, calling on them to see themselves as stakeholders in the industry.

According to her, good behavior and loyalty are the best tools to stamp out corruption in the work place.