FAAN HAS CORRUPTION INSIDE AND IT IS WELL FANNED BY MANAGEMENT

George Uresi


Corruption at the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reached an alarming stage.

Findings have proved that the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. George Uresi and his forerunner in office, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun have allegedly misappropriated several millions overestimated purchases of vehicles on behalf of FAAN and undercover foreign staff training programmes. While over N75 million have allegedly been diverted from inflated bills on purchase of cars, another whooping N141million meant for a foreign training programme may have also found its ways through the drain pipes of the FAAN managers. The training supposedly billed for South Africa, according to FAAN management, was halted due to alleged visa problems. But the choice of South Africa and payment of huge sums became susspicious as FAAN is said to have a standing arrangement with Miami Airport in the USA, which allowed for free training of FAAN staff. Meanwhile, funds had already been released for the trip in two categories.
The first category involved the payment of registration fee to the training company at $6,000 per trainee for 84 people. A total of $504,000 (76.6million naira) was made for this payment. The second payment was a total of $416,000 (63 million naira) estacode for each of the 84 participants. An average amount of $425 (65 thousand naira) per day was to be paid to each staff embarking on the dud training programme. Huhuonline.com investigations have revealed that before the botched training, the sum of N918million was applied for staff training, travels and exchange programs via a letter titled “Year 2011 Overseas Training Business Plan”, dated April 18, 2011 and signed by Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun (then Managing Director of FAAN).
The funds meant for the trip was subsequently approved by the governing board for the 2011 FAAN business plan and a total sum of N141 million was released for the training programme by the finance director at an exchange rate of N152.97. Findings have however proved that despite the cancellation of the foreign training programme in South Africa, in which monies were released last year, refunds of the already collected moneys are yet to be paid back to FAAN’s coffers. “The whole training was suspicious, even the trainers. Up till now, they have not refunded our registration fee.
Why should a government agency and regulator be trained by a travel agency? Whatever happened to the Miami Airport free training partnership where some of our staffs have been trained? We were shocked when we were told we had to pay such an amount to a travel agency for training in South Africa,” a FAAN source queried.
However, after the botched South African training, the FAAN management reverted to Miami Airport where the staffs were again trained for free.
Meanwhile, Mr. Akin Olukunle, FAAN General Manager, Public Affairs has absolved the management of any alleged financial misappropriation but confirmed that the failure of the training in South Africa, saying, “How the transaction went, I cannot say. I will need to confirm with the finance manager.”


Minister for Aviation Stella Odua