BY WOLE SHADARE
FOR more than a month, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has come under scathing criticisms over decay of infrastructure, poor service delivery, among others. WOLE SHADARE writes that the airports are deprived of funds to function Unless the Federal Government takes the initiative to refurbish infrastructure at the nation’s airports, the issue will continue to dominate discourse no matter the effort to sweep the matter under the carpet. Events in the last few weeks has further revealed the decay that daily stare travellers and other users of the airports in the face-no thanks to the slow pace of efforts to make the nation’s airports pride to the generality of Nigeria. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had come under scathing criticism for poor service delivery, and alleged under performance, but the authority has defended itself, arguing that one mistake of power outages should not lead to blanket condemnation of the agency in its determination to reposition the airports. FAAN stated that all efforts had been met with commitment to renew infrastructure at the airports, but not a few were impressed with their efforts. Experts have; however, attributed breakdown of infrastructure at the premier gateway- the international wing of the Lagos airport to lack of dedicated fund to the managers of the airport. In short, users sweat profusely inside the hall, coupled with epileptic power supply to the airport, thereby heightening security lapses during passengers’ frisking, which in some cases are done manually without the aid of screening machines. Allocation for infrastructure at the terminal has not been released, a departure from the past where monthly allocation for emergency repairs of any facility is promptly done before the intervention of the headquarters. Statistics made available to The Guardian shows January 2008 maintenance allocation for the MMIA was paid in June 2008, while 50 per cent of February allocation was paid in August 2008. For March 2008 allocation, only 50 per cent of the February and March allocations were paid in October 2008, while that of April and May were paid on October 21, 2008. That of June was paid on January 26th, 2009. July’s allocation was released on March 25th 2009, while that of August was released on March 25th, 2009. Curiously, since February, 2010, no money has been released for the operations and maintenance of the terminal building, which stakeholders believe has been starved of funds to repair or change facilities like the conveyor belts, avio bridges, electrical cables and other things that are needed urgently to make the terminal comfortable for travellers. A source in FAAN who pleaded anonymity told The Guardian that the authority was seriously constrained with shrinking resources to tackle irregular water supply, power outage, unkempt toilets, unserviceable air conditioners, breakdown of conveyor belts, security lapses, insincerity of concessionaires, delay in the payment of salaries and low staff morale. Their problem is also compounded with huge debts owed them by concessionaires, airlines and other service providers, a situation that has made FAAN to go cap in hand begging for its money from them. The situation has further raised questions on whether FAAN would ever recover its over N10 billion. Aviation and travel expert, Olumide Ohunayo said that it was true the airports were generally starved of funds, adding that why the management introduced this option was not too clear. He stated rather rhetorically: “Are the managers misappropriating this fund or is FAAN not having the requisite funds to disburse to the airports as done in past? Ohunayo lamented that the unviable airports were in dire need, as their managers owed contractors and other utility bills that had necessitated some of them to switch off their phones for fear of creditors, or practically ran the airports from hideouts within the airport vicinity. He urged the government to simply fast-track the airport clustering concession process as reasoned early this year, was the best option out of this malaise; the present apologetic posture without a clear cut programme for our airports, would be heard but not taken seriously again. His words: “In the interim FAAN should release funds to clear the outstanding debts owed by the airport managers, improve synergies between its directors and review the archaic civil service procedure with attendant documentation, when dealing with operational issues.” Not a few believed that the woes of the sector would continue if nothing urgent were done to bring sanity into the industry, which was begging for immediate appointment of experienced and capable hands, there would be a total collapse of the airport. The airport was heralded as the best in Africa when it was commissioned in 1979. It was modelled after Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, but today, while the former has degenerated, the former has expanded to become a super hub in Europe and the world. Since the airport was built 31 years ago, the potential of the gateway has never being in doubt, but the decay has been a regular feature with allegations that the authority has refused to embrace change even when the Federal Government had declared that most of the agencies should embrace the idea of public private partnership (PPP) in consonance with the doctrine that government has no business doing business. Since the country cannot dwell in the past because of the dynamism of the aviation industry, the onus largely falls on the Minister of Aviation, Fidelia Njeze to brace up and ensure that infrastructure at the airports are upgraded to provide security and ensure service delivery for all users of the nation’s airports.
No comments:
Post a Comment