By Sade Williams
As parts of its efforts at enhancing the overall passenger experience at airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), on Friday, commissioned a newly refurbished E-Wing departure terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos .
Four environmentally friendly CNG-powered air-conditioned buses were also introduced to improve passenger mobility within the airport premises.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, while commissioning the facility, commended FAAN for its unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service to Nigerian travellers.
The Minister praised the collaborative effort between FAAN and the United Bank for Africa, highlighting this project as part of a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing passenger comfort and entertainment within airport terminals.
“This is part of a general plan by FAAN endorsed by the Ministry, to continue to remodel all of them in partnership with private entities within our limited resources to make them more user-friendly. What we are doing here today is the commissioning of the remodelled E-Wing departure hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport. You can see what they have done here , our concessionaires have done tremendously well, in partnership with UBA, we want to thank them so much, this is the outcome of the partnership, the new floor, a well lit departure hall, the adverts everywhere. We are going to other wings of the airport, we are going to work on Wing-D.”, he said.
Keyamo, who said the Ministry had formally informed the National Security Adviser about steps taken to curb corruption at the airport, commended other agencies for collaborating with FAAN to restore sanity to the system.
“All thanks to the very hard work put in by FAAN. The dismantling of check-in tables is for for the benefits of al Nigerians and the image of the agencies, that people normally lampoon over their conducts. But we are very deliberate about what we are doing. I must give credit to other agencies, they have stepped up their games, there is less harassment and more professionalism on their parts. We have updated the National Security Adviser over the steps we have taken, those steps were not taken outside of his endorsement in the first place, the MD and myself had engaged him over the last few months before we took those steps. We have written to the NSA about the concrete steps we have taken now and fir him to inform the agencies to cooperate with us so that we all asva nation will work hand in hand and hand a good gateway into the country”, he added.
Keyamo also lauded FAAN’s decision to procure energy-efficient buses, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s goal of promoting sustainable practices and reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels.
Also speaking, Oliver Alawuba, Group Managing Director, UBA reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to partnering with FAAN in its quest to upgrade airports infrastructure.
“I think it’s a great day for us, we have been in this partnership for 22 years working with FAAN and improving the infrastructure. This is just an example of what Public Private Partnership can do. You have seen that Minister is committed to improving the infrastructure and Government cannot do it alone, so the private sector has to come in and UBA clearly, is providing that support as needed at this time. This is just the first phase, we are also going to remodel the D. Departure.”
Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of FAAN, assured aviation stakeholders of the organisation’s continued focus on improving facilities and services at airports.
She announced plans for additional investments in cooling systems, equipment upgrades, and modernising infrastructure by 2025, underscoring FAAN’s dedication to ensuring that Nigerians take pride in their airport facilities.
Through these ongoing efforts, FAAN aims to create a positive and enjoyable airport experience for all passengers and stakeholders.
“I do want to say that our passenger traffic remain strong. But there may be some economic realities that are affecting global nations but within Nigeria, we are expanding our facilities and planning for the future hence the use of terminal two. We are using the terminal D right now ,we are moving passenger in here to decongest and look at the arrival time and slot to make effective use of the capacity use of the terminal as well as the timing of flights arriving and landing.”, she said.
