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FAAN explains why there’s lull in airports projects execution

By on May 12, 2014

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Friday attributed the seeming lull in the execution of projects in some of the nation’s airports to the late passage of the 2014 budget.
The General Manager, Aviation parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati, in a statement, said the lull was not caused because the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs Jamila Shu’ ara, refused to release funds to the contractors as at when due.

On the budget delay, he said: “As a result of the slow pace in budget passage, releases for the project were also delayed. He however debunked insinuations that the airport remodelling project by the federal government had been abandoned.

“The attention of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been drawn to misleading and mischievous reports in some sections of the media alleging that the Airport remodelling Project has been abandoned because the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Aviation had refused to release funds to contractors handling the project, which she considered a non-priority project.

“FAAN wishes to emphasise that the Airport re-modelling Project, designed by the Federal Government to modernise all airport terminals in the country, in line with international standards and best practices, has not been abandoned.” he said.

According to Dati, it was uncharitable and malicious for anyone to accuse Shu’ara, that she was “Sitting on the funds” meant for a project that she knows President Goodluck Jonathan himself considers top priority in his transformation agenda in the aviation industry.

He continued, “The seeming lull in the execution of the project in some of our airports was caused by the late passage of the 2014 budget as a result which releases for the project were delayed.

“Happily, the 2014 budget has now been passed and we wish to assure the public that work on the project will be accelerated as soon as fund is released to the affected contractors.”
The Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr Samuel Ortom, Dati added, has also assured Nigerians that work on the remodelling project would be completed on schedule, adding that he gave that assurance while touring some of the projects across the country recently.

 

 

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