To ensure that the Ease of Doing Business put in place in the country meets its set objectives, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has warned that the Federal government will not hesitate to use its big harmer on any security personnel caught for extorting air passengers in the airport.
FEBEC which frowned at the unethical activities of some officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) operating at the nation’s airports, partuclarly, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), warned that such practices would no longer be tolerated within any airport in the country.
The warning came as Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said it is currently processing six (6) agency personnel that have been caught extorting passengers at the airport; stating that the outcome of the investigation would be taken to the National Security Adviser (NSA) while all those found culpable will be permanently banned from on working in any airport in the country.
The warning was dropped at the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat Training session on Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Customer Service for MDAs operating at the Airports (Front-line officers), held in MMIA Conference Centre Lagos.
Special Adviser to the President on the Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole who expressed the mood of the presidency over the series of viral videos that have trended over the social media, warned that if care is not taken and leaders of the agencies in the airports are not held responsible for their subordinate’s action, such unethical conducts may be a clean sweep as the inefficiency and corruption at the MMIA has become unbearable.
Addressing uniform personnel at the airport, FAAN AVSEC, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Agriculture Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr. Odulowe described the MMIA as ‘no man’s land’ a place where officials do anything they liked without consequences.
Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu who spoke on the current malaise, explained that in the light of the current corruption and extortion issues, woould adopt a policy of compiling and publishing list of violators every month. He added that it would include video clips or bank statement of the people that have been extorted or harassed for each agency and copy the National Security Adviser (NSA), PEBEC and the Minister of Aviation.
Yadudu said,” In the light of all these videos, I called an emergency meeting and I said, if this continues and nothing is done, it means, Managing Director of FAAN and other agency heads themselves are sharing out of the money if there is money. They are sharing the benefits if there are benefits, if things are happening and there is no reaction then there is a problem, somebody is getting it.
“The action we are taking now is if you are caught, MMIA will write to the headquarters FAAN and we will compile and every month we will submit for each agency, their list of violators and video clips or bank statement of the people that have been extorted or harassed or other wise violated to their headquarters and copy the National Security Adviser (NSA) and copy PEBEC and copy the Minister of Aviation. With this in place, the concerner agencies will be forcing themselves to say don’t embarrass us.
“We will enforce, discipline and we will not cover up, cover up is the biggest cause of the issues. Agencies want to cover their own, FAAN wants to cover its own, stakeholders and airlines want to cover up; that is why people who are doing minimal violations graduate, overtime and become emboldened. And others that are not doing it see that there is no advantage because the others have more money and more privileges and so they join.”
“In our own FAAN, among the people we caught, he is an AVSEC after we initiate his ban from airports permanently across Nigeria, you cannot work in any airport in Nigeria the agency has to replace you, it is a black mark. if we identify any bad egg, we will ban him for life take his ODC and nothing will happen. So is it worth it? Must it go to that length? No.
“Right now I have six people reported and submitted to me on Friday, different agencies, some are even collecting money and put it in the passport and then take it to another, the officer will look at it remove the money and give them back, I’m saying it now but we don’t want to be catching Nigerians,” Yadudu warned.
