Keyamo, who disclosed this at the post-FEC media briefing, regretted that Very Important Persons (VIPs) with money who should pay are those that have not been paying, noting that only poor people had been charged for using the tollgates. He said the exemption must now stop.
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Why FAAN’s headquarters was relocated back to Lagos
Why FAAN’s headquarters was relocated back to Lagos
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has justified the directive asking the agency to relocate its headquarters to Lagos.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had issued a directive for the relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.
In an internal memo dated January 15 2024, FAAN’s Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, directed the agency’s Director of Human Resources and Administration to come up with the implications of the relocation order.
In the memo, titled, “Relocation of FAAN Headquarters From Abuja to Lagos”, Kuku requested the implication of moving the operations of FAAN headquarters to Lagos.
The memo read, “The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has directed that the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria should be relocated from Abuja to Lagos.
“Consequent upon the above, you are requested to provide the implication of the relocation to the management.”
Meanwhile, it was learnt that FAAN as of December 2015 had a total staff strength of 5,308. The number is split among technical, 1153, representing 21.72 per cent; non-technical, 4154 (78.26 per cent); and executive staff, 1 (0.02 per cent).
In a separate statement issued on Thursday, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, Obiageli Orah reiterated that relocating the headquarters was considered to be in the best interest of the authority.
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The statement reads in part, “Those affected by the decision to move the headquarters to Abuja have since returned to Lagos as there is no office space for them in Abuja. It was ill-advised in the first place to move the headquarters to Abuja when there was no single FAAN building in Abuja to accommodate all of them at once.
“Having returned to Lagos, the Authority would be liable to pay them DTA (Duty Tour Allowance) because technically they are working out of the station as their official posting is to Abuja. The Minister has decided to stop this waste of public resources and rip-off on the public purse.
“The other option open to the authority was to abandon the old FAAN building in Lagos to rot away and to use its scarce resources to rent an office space in Abuja for millions of naira of public money when in fact more than sixty per cent of its activities are in Lagos given the huge passenger volume of the Lagos airports. The stakeholders and the Minister decided against that and to save the country this waste.”
According to Orah, the minister has unveiled plans to engage concessionaires in constructing suitable offices for FAAN in both Lagos and Abuja.
Orah noted that until this development materialises, FAAN will maintain its management of the existing building in Lagos, which is capable of accommodating all directors and senior officials.
Orah clarified that operational offices in Abuja remain fully functional, with no reduction in operations, adding that the decision was purely technical and does not impact the ongoing operational structure in both cities.
Why FAAN’s headquarters was relocated back to Lagos
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Women Affairs Minister drags Niger Speaker to court over plans to marry off 100 girls
Women Affairs Minister drags Niger Speaker to court over plans to marry off 100 girls
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has sued Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, over child marriage.
The minister asked the court to stop Sarkin-Daji from marrying off 100 girls.
The minister, speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, said the plan of Sarkin-Daji to marry off the girls was appalling.
Kennedy-Ohanenye disclosed that she had also petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over Sarkin-Daji’s plan.
The Niger lawmaker disclosed last week that he would sponsor the wedding of 100 girls, some of whom were orphaned by insurgency, as part of his Maringa constituency project.
He said he had acquired materials for the event scheduled for May 24, and promised to pay dowries for the bridegrooms.
Sarkin-Daji announcement was greeted by widespread criticism, the speaker clarified that he was only funding the wedding — not forcing the girls into marriage.
However, Kennedy-Ohanenye said the plan is unacceptable, and that the future of the girls should be a priority, adding that the speaker should have empowered the children.
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She said the ministry will take responsibility for the girls’ education and vocational training.
“I want to let the honorable Speaker of the House in Niger state know that this is totally unacceptable by the Federal Minister of Women Affairs and by the government,” Kennedy-Ohanenye said.
“Because there is something called the Child’s Right Act and I said it from the onset, that is no more business as usual.
“These children must be considered, their future must be considered, the future of the children to come out of their marriage must be considered.
“So I have gone to court. I have written him a letter and written a petition to the IG of police.
“And I have filed for injunction to stop him from whatever he is planning to do on the 24th, until a thorough investigation is carried out on those girls, find out whether they gave their consent, their ages, find out the people marrying them.
“As the speaker did not think about empowering these women or sending them to school or giving them some kind of training support financially. The Women Affairs have decided to take it up and we are going to educate the children.
“Those that do not want to go to school, we will train them in a skill, empower them with sustainable empowerment machines to enable that child build his or her life and make up her mind who and when to get married.
“If for any reason the speaker tries to do contrary to what I have just mentioned, there will be a serious legal battle between him and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.”
Women Affairs Minister drags Niger Speaker to court over plans to marry off 100 girls
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BREAKING: Tinubu, Shettima now to pay tollgate fees at airports
BREAKING: Tinubu, Shettima now to pay tollgate fees at airports
President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima will now henceforth pay the required fees at tollgates whenever they use the nation’s airports.
This came as the the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting he presided over at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday approved that there should be no more exemption granted to users of the airports from paying tollgate fees.
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The approval was made following a memorandum presented to the council by the minister of aviation, Festus Keyamo, who argued that the government was losing over 82% of the revenue it should have earned from the e-tags that provide access to the tollgates.
He explained that the memoranda had initially prescribed an exemption for only the president and the vice president before Tinubu overruled and directed that both of them should be included among those that must pay.
News
Rivers Assembly: Court dismisses LP suit against INEC
Rivers Assembly: Court dismisses LP suit against INEC
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit brought forth by the Labour Party (LP) seeking an order for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election to fill seats in the Rivers House of Assembly vacated by defected lawmakers.
Justice James Omotosho ruled in favour of striking out the suit after LP’s counsel, F. I. Adariku, requested the case be withdrawn.
The LP sought the court’s intervention to compel INEC to conduct a new election for vacant seats by lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, INEC, represented by Victor Giwa, opposed the suit, labelling it frivolous and incompetent and citing it as an abuse of the court process.
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Giwa contended that the LP lacked the legal standing and territorial jurisdiction to bring the action, emphasizing a pending case in a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which addressed the same subject matter and involved the same parties.
Upon INEC’s objection, LP withdrew the suit, prompting Adariku to seek its dismissal.
While A. S. Adisa, representing Giwa, did not contest the withdrawal, he requested a cost of N500,000.
In his ruling on May 3, later sighted on Monday, Justice Omotosho ordered LP to pay a cost of N50,000 in favor of INEC.
The suit involved several defendants, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara and numerous lawmakers.
Rivers Assembly: Court dismisses LP suit against INEC
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