The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has given the Accident Investigation Bureau – Nigeria (AIB-N) and other entities with facilities at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos quit notice.
Other organisations that will be affected by this order include Caverton, Dominion, Evergreen Apple Nigeria and ExecuJet hangars.
Experts have, however, faulted the deadline.
The notice came barely a week after the National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation, led by Senator Smart Adeyemi and Hon. Nnolim Nnaji Aviation, warned FAAN against demolishing the affected offices and private hangars at Lagos Airport, because it would cost the country billions of naira.
It was learnt that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Road Service Corps (FRSC) and the towing firms close to the AIB-N regional headquarters in Lagos were affected by the order.
Though FAAN confirmed the notice to the agencies with offices close to the airside, it said it did not attach a deadline to it.
FAAN stated that the agency would not compensate the affected organisations but that it would provide them land.
If FAAN carries out its threat, properties worth billions of Naira belonging to these entities would be affected.
For instance, AIB-N, has its regional headquarters that was the agency’s head office until the mid-2020 when the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, gave it and other aviation agencies a marching order to move to Abuja office.
The facility houses its office complex, Command & Control Centre, office of investigators and Information Communication Technology (ICT) department.
Apart from the cost of the land, it was learnt that AIB-N’s facilities in Lagos regional office are worth over N5 billion.
Most of the facilities at the AIB-N’s office in Lagos were installed less than four years ago by Mr. Akin Olateru-led management team.
While FAAN has issued the eviction order, the affected organisations who are not comfortable that bitter about the development may be heading to court to challenge their eviction.
A source close to one of the two towing firms affected confirmed the notice and that the letter conveying the message was signed by the Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu.
The reason for wanting to evict AIB-N and other organisations, it was learnt, was to allow the Chinese contractors building the terminal at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport to use the offices demolished as apron.
It would be recalled that FAAN had contended that the organisations doing businesses at that corridor were making it difficult for it to expand the new terminal still under construction.
But the organisations on their part had argued that they received valid and approved papers from the relevant authorities before constructing their offices at the present locations, wondering why FAAN is now asking them to vacate the same place they got approvals for.
They further argued that they were not the problem but that the challenge lied with the terminal that was not well-located.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the development.
She explained that FAAN would give the affected organisations new land within the airport.
She added that the affected organisations were not given two weeks to relocate as being speculated.
“FAAN is relocating those offices that have been asked to move,” she added.
