Relocation of FAAN headquarters from Abuja to Lagos is to cut cost & reduce expenditures—FAAN Management

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Thursday, January 18, gave reasons for the relocation of its headquarters to Lagos. The authority stated that the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Abuja to Lagos was to reduce expenditures.

FAAN stated this in a statement in Abuja, by its Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Director, Obiageli Orah, reports Daily Post

According to statement, Orah, pointed that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Kayamo, gave the order for the relocation. The order, she said, was to stop the waste of public resources experienced in Abuja.

Orah said that the FAAN management, alongside stakeholders, which also involved the unions, agreed that the action. She said the decision was in the best interest of the authority and the country for now.

“Those affected by the decision to move the headquarters to Abuja have since returned to Lagos. This is because, 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 will be liable to pay them DTA. This is because technically, they are working out of station as their official posting is to Abuja,” she said.

Orah noted that more than 60 per cent of the FAAN activities was in Lagos. This is informed by the huge passenger volume of the Lagos airports.

According to the statement, “The Minister has rolled out plans to get concessionaires to build befitting offices for the Authority in Lagos and Abuja.

“Until that is done, the authority will continue to manage its old building in Lagos. The building can accommodate all its directors and senior officials for now,” she added.

The Director, however, stated that Abuja would continue to have full operational offices. She maintained that FAAN had not scaled down operations in Abuja one bit.

“It is just the technical decision of where the authority has its ‘corporate headquarters’. And that has been taken without affecting the structure of operations as they are for now in both cities.

“⁠In the near future, when befitting corporate buildings have been built for the authority in both Lagos and Abuja, a final decision will be taken as to the location of the permanent headquarters.

“This will depend on the exigencies of the time,” she said.

The director stressed that the FAAN was determined to continue to act in the best interest of the public and the country.