Amidst the regular complaints from passengers and other airport users about the high rate of extortion being perpetrated by uniform personnel across the country’s airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has risen to the occasion by engaging the services of those referred to as ‘mystery staff’ at the four international airports to change the narrative.
Revealing this, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, attributed the latest development to the resolve of the organisation to ensure that passengers that pass through the airports are not extorted any more by staff and other agencies of government working at the airports.
Speaking during the one-day sensitisation programme on ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Initiative organised by the Directorate of Airport Operations, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), the FAAN MD declared that the role of the ‘mystery staff’ at the four international airports is to take note of the activities of staff at the airports and report same to management.
The FAAN MD, in his keynote address, expressed displeasure at the poor reputation of Murtala Muhammed International Airport due to extortion of passengers and warned that anyone caught in such act this Yuletide season will face disciplinary consequences.
Lamenting how travellers are discouraged from flying through the international terminal of the Lagos airport because of extortion, the FAAN MD challenged representatives of all the government agencies that operate at the airport namely; Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, Police and others to be at their absolute best when carrying out their day-to-day activities .
He reminded everyone that there are active cameras everywhere, adding that whoever is caught doing anything that will bring FAAN into disrepute would be sanctioned, even as he noted that all the agencies working at the airport are involved in the breach.
While warning that FAAN will no longer “tolerate this embarrassment any further,” Kabir urged everyone to improve the reputation of the airport and the country at large by being courteous and respectful to the travelling public at this season.
Preaching the spirit of collaboration, the FAAN chief noted that “we are one airport and if there’s any wrongdoing, people don’t bother to know which agency did the wrong. They only know the airport where they were wronged.”
The ACI ASQ sensitisation event, which was championed by the Directorate of Airport Operations headed by Captain Mukhtar Yusuf Muye, also had an interactive session where participants expressed their concerns and gave suggestions on how the image of the airport can be improved upon.
Present at the occasion were top management staff of FAAN, other government agencies and concessionaires operating within the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
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