The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reinforced its strategic partnership with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development following a high-level familiarisation visit by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mahmud Adam Kambari, to the Authority’s headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos.
The visit, which took place on Monday, provided a platform for both institutions to align priorities and strengthen collaboration aimed at improving efficiency, sustainability, and overall service delivery within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Present at the engagement were FAAN’s top management team, led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive, Olubunmi Kuku, alongside directors and senior officials from the Ministry.
Delivering an extensive briefing, Mrs Kuku outlined FAAN’s operational mandate, detailing its responsibility for the management of passenger and cargo airport infrastructure nationwide.
She highlighted the Authority’s strategic focus areas while also acknowledging ongoing operational constraints, including pension obligations, financial reconciliation issues with the Ministry of Finance, escalating energy costs, and the increasing complexity of security operations that demand continuous training and behavioural reorientation of personnel.
Notwithstanding these challenges, the FAAN helmswoman emphasised that the Authority has recorded significant progress across several key areas.
Central to these gains is a robust investment in human capital development, with thousands of employees and industry stakeholders benefitting from specialised training programmes. These initiatives span critical fields such as aviation security, engineering, airport operations, safety management, environmental sustainability, and general capacity building.
Mrs Kuku also pointed to tangible improvements in passenger facilitation and staff welfare, noting that FAAN’s Acculturalisation Programme has played a pivotal role in driving a positive shift in organisational culture.
She further revealed that Nigeria’s major international gateways – the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport – have successfully secured recertification, a development she described as a strong validation of FAAN’s compliance with global safety and security standards, as well as enhanced inter-agency cooperation.
In his response, Mr Kambari lauded FAAN’s leadership for demonstrating resilience and a clear commitment to reform, even in the face of systemic challenges.
He, however, outlined critical policy directions to further strengthen institutional performance. Among these is the need to expand and optimise FAAN’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework as a means of attracting investment and accelerating infrastructure development.
The Permanent Secretary also called for greater transparency and efficiency in contract administration processes, alongside the professional certification of procurement officers to align with international best practices.
Additionally, he underscored the importance of aligning workforce planning with prevailing fiscal realities to ensure long-term sustainability.
Addressing operational costs, Mr Kambari urged FAAN to undertake a comprehensive review of its power generation and energy management systems, with a view to reducing expenditure and enhancing efficiency across airport operations.
As part of his itinerary, the Permanent Secretary toured facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where he was briefed on ongoing infrastructure projects and operational frameworks.
The inspection offered him firsthand exposure to the realities of airport management and service delivery under FAAN’s purview.
The visit concluded with a renewed commitment from both the Ministry and FAAN to drive transformative reforms, strengthen governance structures, and position Nigeria’s aviation industry for enhanced competitiveness and sustainable growth within the global aviation landscape.
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