The recent relocation notice by Minister Festus Keyamo instructing FAAN to return to Lagos has generated a debate of logic against sentiments around the nation.
The directive, which was first revealed in an internal memo from Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku on January 15, 2024, sparked diverse reactions from stakeholders.
Despite uncertainties surrounding the decision, many have overwhelmingly welcomed the move, emphasizing the economic efficiency and operational benefits it brings.
FAAN’s Obiageli Orah (Mrs.) had in a statement confirming the notice stated that those affected by the 2020 move to Abuja have now returned to Lagos, with the initial relocation being deemed ill-advised. She emphasises that the decision to move to Abuja was considered wasteful, as over sixty percent of FAAN’s activities are centered in Lagos due to high passenger volume.
Keyamo approved the move back, opting to retain the old Lagos building and avoid unnecessary expenses.
Keyamo had in a television interview revealed,”It was the top management of FAAN that approached me, pleading that I should allow them to move their operational base to Lagos state. They spent N450m on air tickets between Lagos and Abuja last Year alone just to sign a simple document”
He emphasized that the headquarters is where the decision-makers meet, not where the largest number of workers are and not where the biggest building is. He noted that over 100 of the 132 workers at the head office are in Lagos while only the directors are in Abuja — without their support staffers.
Keyamo also mentioned that the entire situation is compounded by the fact that FAAN is not yet digitalized, resulting in an expenditure of half a billion naira on flight tickets 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 back and forth. In one year, they spent close to half a billion naira on flight tickets. N450m on flight tickets alone,” he said.
This decision contrasts with the initial relocation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which faced criticism for funding challenges and office accommodation shortages.
Former Minister Hadi Sirika’s 2020 directive to relocate within 45 days faced criticism for funding challenges and office accommodation shortages. Stakeholders expressed dissatisfaction, citing a lack of groundwork and coherence in the initial relocation.
The announcement of FAAN’s relocation, sequel to that of the CBN’s, has caused quite a stir especially in the Northern part of the country. The Northern Elders Forum was not heard during the initial relocation which was not done for economic purposes but for mundane reasons.
Now agitated and threatening unimaginable repercussions, the NEF is seemingly unexposed to the reality on ground as politics for them seem superior to economics.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima who waded in the matter says the federal government will not implement any policy that will have a detrimental effect on any region of the country.
Shettima was speaking at the 10th Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture, held in Maiduguri, Borno state. The vice-president, represented by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, his special adviser on political matters, said the planned relocation is in the best interest of the nation.
“Recently, there were those opposing the federal government’s decision over planned relocation of some departments and units of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos, I want to reassure the people of the North that the move is for the interest of the generality of Nigerians,” Shettima said.
He noted that the Tinubu-led administration would not implement any policies that would have a detrimental effect on any region of the country.
The vice-president urged those who were against the move to desist.
Also, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said FAAN headquarters to Lagos is not politically motivated as
the decision had drawn criticism and support, with Ali Ndume, chief whip of the senate, saying it would have political consequences.
In a statement on Sunday, Idris said the allegations were “unfounded”, noting the relocation is a practical step to improve the operational competence and reduce the cost of operation.
He said the relocation was not to marginalise any section of the country.
“It is not true that the relocation to Lagos of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), is political moves aimed at marginalizing a section of the country,” Idris said.
“These allegations are unfounded. Instead, these are pragmatic administrative steps to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.”
Also reacting to the recent flurry of tirades, the former CBN Governor, Muhammadu Lamido Sanusi 11, recently threw his weight behind the relocations of both CBN and FAAN debasing those seeking to ‘politicise’ the move.
Sanusi said, “ The FAAN and CBN move is an eminently sensible move. Moving staff to the Lagos office to streamline operations to make them more efficient and reduce cost is a normal prerogative of management.”
Other stakeholders argue that the initial relocation to Abuja in 2020 made little sense, especially since FAAN had no offices in Abuja, while NAMA, with fully functional offices in Lagos, moved to Abuja and became a tenant. Aviation Consultant, Babatunde Adeniji, suggests that if there are no adequate office facilities in Abuja, the move back to Lagos is a reprieve.
“If indeed there are no adequate office facilities in Abuja and relocation allowances are owed to staff, this should be a reprieve and a sensible return to status quo of adequate facilities.
Adeniji further questions the necessity of physical office spaces in the era of technological advancement, suggesting a focus on creating the best environment for increased productivity, especially for non-field staff, through hybrid and remote work.
Comrade Olayinka Abioye, former NUATE Secretary General, applauds the reversal as the best thing for the sector and calls for the reversal of other agencies like NAMA, NCAA, and the NSIB. Abioye insinuates motives behind the former minister’s forced relocation but praises the current Minister for rectifying the situation and addressing potential transparency issues.
“I am aware that hundreds of those employed by Sirika do not come to work in several places up North but collect salaries monthly. Some do not even have offices yet we claim we are running a transparent government.
Group Captain John Ojikutu in his submissions however maintained that relocation in the first instance were acts of political interference in the first place
He however states that relocating the agencies to Lagos will not stop wastages.
He surmised, “Reversing it to Lagos or the relocation to Abuja in the first instance are the Acts of political interference by the political office holders in the administration of our government and the management of the agencies.
“The movements are at the instance of these officials. I am not in support of the FAAN Headquarters being located in any of the Airports. There is also its interference with the operations, management and operations of the airports especially Lagos and Abuja. Locate the Headquarters outside the physical locations of these airports.
“Secondly, relocating them to Lagos will not stop the wastages so long the calls of the Minister on the CEO and the Directors to visit the Abuja Ministry are not reduced or called off.
“There are wasting FG offices in Lagos island that the FAAN Headquarters can move into. Let the airports operate without the direct interferences of the Headquarters and indirect interferences of the ministry. These interferences are the sources of wastages and therefore, Institutional Corruption
General Secretary of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Ocheme Aba, says: “The headquarters of any organisation can not be cited in the convenience of the owners but it must be in the interest of the business with a view to survive especially with regards to raw materials.”
“We are back to square one, common sense is now prevailing. I hope tomorrow another person will not come and read political meanings to this situation and do all over again. Business decisions should be based on business parameters”
Aba noted that the unions have earlier warned against such movement to Abuja and it’s cost implications adding that it has left a lot of overhead costs for the agencies that will be affected.
In summary, FAAN’s return to Lagos receives widespread acclaim from stakeholders who view it as a sensible decision aligned with operational needs and the potential for a more productive work environment.
