Poor Documentation Stalls N120bn FAAN Pension Funds
The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) yesterday raised the alarm over how poor documentation of financial records is serving as a stumbling block denying workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from accessing their over N120 million pension funds.
Its Secretary-General, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu who made this known, said the association was worried over the difficulty faced by FAAN workers to access it, a development, which he affirmed has delayed the implementation of the pension programme in the authority.
Sequel to the development, ANAP has sent a letter to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, through the Managing Director, FAAN, Captain Hamisu Yadudu.
ANAP frowned at the manner in which concessions, leases, Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreements were granted to private sector players/investors to the detriment of FAAN and its workers.
ANAP explained that with the lopsided nature of these agreements, details of the contracts were not made known to workers of FAAN to enable them ascertain the status of such transactions in the organisation.
Saidu said: “Seymor Car Park multi-storage building is a concession, the rail project in Abuja, the legend hotel building in the MMIA, the ASL building, the Executive jet building. Where are their agreements? Are they paying what they should pay to FAAN?
“The land where they built is well measured? Are they forwarding their yearly audited account to FAAN, so that FAAN can collect five percent concession fee?”
The union called on the minister to request for the agreement of MMA2 operated by Bi-Contney Aviation Services Limited, warning that corruption would not be allowed to continue in the system.
ANAP said the aviation minister should call for a meeting on MMA2 issue to examine terms of agreement adding that MMA2 management was not paying FAAN for services rendered which the union described as huge corruption and stealing public funds by trick.
ANAP noted that reckless concession agreement in FAAN has brought down the organisation’s revenue and was finding it difficult to pay salaries because so many revenue points were not captured.
Saidu blamed politicians for over bloating the workforce in the organisation by giving employment to those without requisite qualification for jobs warning that only professionals should be employed.
ANAP urged the minister to use the year 2021 to correct the mistakes of the past administration adding that there was no area in the airport available for concession as everywhere has been concessioned.
He said the Ministry is focused on concession because they were bereft of ideas on how to manage the industry adding that FAAN was too unique to toy with
The union called for appointment and inauguration of board of Parastatals to checkmate the Ministry.
