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Tag: Saleh Dunoma

  • FAAN seeks N101b in 2019 budget

    The Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is proposing a budget of  N101,673,038,972  for 2019 fiscal year.

    Its Managing Director,  Saleh Dunoma, told the Nkeruika Onyejiocha-led House of Representatives Committee on Aviation yesterday at the budget session that the proposal was an increase of 14.5 per cent over 2018 budget of N88,805,462,776.

    Onyejiocha, in her opening remarks had warned the agencies and parastatals in the Aviation sector to ensure that all monetary reports are harmonised and presented to the Committee for proper documentation.

    “We want to see everything in black and white.

    In his presentation, Dunoma disclosed that a proposed 6.2 per cent in Capital Expenditure for 2019 would be largely for planned improvement in infrastructural development across the airports.

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    He, however, said the budget proposal was hinged on an anticipated brighter aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue base for the year.

    He said: “This is in anticipation of increase in passenger traffic as well as boost in the non-aeronautical revenue base of the Authority as already highlighted in the 2018 budget performance.

  • 2019 Budget Defence: FAAN proposes N101.6bn

    Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) has proposed a total budget of N101.6 billion for 2019.

    The Managing Director, Mr Saleh Dunoma, made the disclosure while defending the 2019 budget proposals of the Authority before the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on Wednesday in Abuja.

    According to him, the Authority is proposing for 2019 a Budget of N101.67 billion as against N88,805,462,776 for 2018 which gives a 14.5 per cent increase.

    “This is in anticipation of increase in passenger traffic as well as boost in the non-aeronautical revenue base of the Authority as already highlighted in the 2018 budget performance.

    “The total proposed Revenue for 2019 of N101.67 billion is made up of N60.33 billion from the Aeronautical Revenue Sources N26.03 billion from the non-aeronautical sources and N16.92 billion as anticipated debts to be recovered.

    “The Authority is also proposing a Total Recurrent Expenditure of N58.44 billion with N34.72 billion as Personnel Costs and other related costs, N23.72 billion as overhead costs for 2019

    “A Proposal of N17.82 billion for Capital Budget against N16.78 billion approved for the year 2018.

    Donuma said that the 6.2 per cent increase in capital expenditure between 2018 and 2019 is largely as a result of “Planned improvement in Infrastructural development across the airports and efforts in certification with Port Harcourt and Kano International Airports in view for the year 2019″.

    “The provisional estimate of N25.42 billion which is 25 per cent of the total revenue is set aside against which the authority will be making quarterly interim remittances pending the audit of financial statements in determining the final operating surplus as stipulated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.”

    The MD prayed the committee to pass the budget and also assist them in recovering most debts owed the agency by various aviation organisations.

    According to him, we have made a presentation of our performance on the 2018 budget and of course our proposals for the 2019 appropriation budget, which we submitted to the House Committee on Aviation for their consideration and approval.

    “This has been accepted and we are waiting for further direction.

    “We pray that the committee will approve the budget and secondly, we want them to assist us to collect our debts from other organisations,” he said.

    Similarly, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State also projected its 2019 budget to be a total of N4.78 billion.

    The Rector and Chief Executive of the College, Capt. Mohammed Abdulsalami, while making the presentation at the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation said N3 billion has been projected as Internally Generated Revenue  (IGR).

    He said that the figure represented 10.5 per cent reduction in budgetary provision when compared to N3.36 billion appropriated in 2018.

    “In 2019, the college is proposing a budget of N4.78 billion comprising N1.78 billion for Personnel Cost, N243.40 billion, for Overhead Cost and N2.76 billion for Capital Expenditure.

    “This represents a 24 per cent reduction in budgetary envelope when compared to the sum of N6.28 billion appropriated in 2018.

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    “In 2019, the College is proposing an IGR of N3 billion comprising N2.85 billion for Overhead Cost and N150 million for replacement of insured assets.

    This represents a 10.5 per cent reduction in budgetary provision when compared to the sum of N3.36 billion appropriated in 2018.”

    In her remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Nkiru Onyejiocha, charged the agencies and parastatals in the Aviation sector to ensure that all monetary reports were harmonised and presented to the Committee for proper documentation.

    “We want to see everything in black and white. This 8th assembly is winding down and we will want to give a handover note to others.

    “We are trying to live up to the next level agenda of this government,” she said. (NAN)

  • FAAN sets up committee to boost non- aeronautical revenue sources

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has set up a committee to map out plans to boost revenue generation for the agency from non-aeronautical sources.
    This is as the agency said that it is going through some processes that would eventually lead to the approval of its Aviation Security (AVSEC) to bear arms in 2019.
    Its Managing Director, Saleh Dunoma disclosed these to aviation journalists yesterday in an interview at the agency’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
    Dunoma said that it was high time airport authorities on the continent diversified their revenue generations away from aeronautic to non-aeronautic, stressing that other airport managers across the world had already keyed into this.
    He insisted that the committee, which he chaired, consisted of relevant directorates and departments responsible for revenue generation for FAAN and would come out with a roadmap to enhance revenues for the agency.
    He declared that FAAN as an agency could not be left behind in development of its airport infrastructure, stressing that the only way to achieve this was for it to diversify its revenue generation and tap into the myriad of opportunities in the system.
    He explained further that apart from Nigeria, other airport authorities across the continent were also deliberating on how to increase their non-aeronautical revenue services, which he said formed the theme of this year’s Airports Council International (ACI) held in Egypt.
    He said: “What we intend to do is to diversify our revenue sources. In Africa, we have not tapped into non-aeronautical sources and we are encouraging African airports to look at non-aeronautical revenue sources of revenue because aeronautical sources of revenues have limitations; they are highly dependent on flight operations.
    “The non-aeronautical revenues are being developed so much that they can be in pari-passu with the aeronautical sources of revenues. This is what we want African airports to develop. Some papers were presented to guide African airports to develop that area.
    “As a matter of fact, I just finished a meeting with my team. I set up a team on revenue generation and this team is chaired by me. It is very sensitive to the survival of African airports especially FAAN. We started the meeting today (yesterday) and we will continue to meet every week until we get to where we want to be.
    “We have not come up with a target yet, but the committee will come up with that. There are lots of departments involved, including engineering and commercial. By the time we develop some projects, we will have revenue targets that we want to achieved. This will be done by the committee.”
    He explained further that before the end of the year, AVSEC personnel would have been approved to bear arms in order to increase their surveillance of the sector.
    He, however, said that before this could be achieved, the department required some trainings and approvals especially from the National Security Adviser (NSA), stressing that background checks would also be carried out on some of the personnel before the approval.
    He said: “There are certain projects that we need to implement before we can start carrying arms. Number one, we have to get the arms. Number two, we have to store the ammunitions somewhere. We need to embark on projects that will enable us to have storage somewhere at the airport. Number three, we need to profile and train.
    “It is not everybody that will bear arms. This, we must apply. We cannot train ourselves. We have to be trained by those that have been long in the system; the State Security Service and the Nigeria police. Also, we want to make sure that we get certification from the office of the National Security Adviser. We have to go through these processes. As soon as we are through with all these, they can then be allowed to carry arms. We intend to do this before the end of the year.”
    On continuation of certifications of international airports by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dunoma assured that other airports would be certified very soon by the regulatory agency, emphasising that the exercise was at different stages of completion.
    He disclosed that Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Kaduna airports were going through the certification processes.
    On the second runway project for Abuja Airport, Dunoma disclosed that the project was part of the 2019 budget, hoping that it would scale through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
    “That has gone far. This is a big document here. The document contains the design and everything about the second runway. It’s in our 2019 budget. Actually, the consultancy is being processed. As soon as we get our clearance from the BPP, we will commence work on it. In fact, we have gone far on this,” he said.

  • Alleged under-remittance: Reps threaten FAAN with zero allocation

     

    The House of Representatives has threatened the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with zero budgetary allocation for 2019 over alleged under-remittances into the Federation Account.

    The lawmakers also expressed concerns over alleged habitual under-handedness in the remittance of naira despite collection of dollar from air operators by the agency.

    While interrogating FAAN during the 2018 budget performance session on Thursday, they raised alarm over the deficit budget of the agency over the past two years.

    They threatened to give zero budget allocation to FAAN in 2019 as well as set up a technical committee to investigate the huge debt profiles and under remittances before presenting the 2019 budget.

    House Committee on Aviation questioned FAAN’s Managing Director (MD) Saleh Dunoma, over the under-remittances by the agency into the Federation Account despite huge funds generated by the agency at airports across the country.

    Committee Chairman, Nkieruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia) noted the agency collects its internally generated revenues (IGR) in dollars yet runs a deficit budget.

    The agency was alleged to have generated N58.7b as IGR in 2018 but remitted only N1b into the Federation Account.

    The Committee also decried the state of infrastructure at the nation’s airports particularly the Murtala Muhammad International Airports (MMIA) and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu state but mandated the agency to give them a facelift before December 25, 2018.

    On non-remittance of revenue into the Federation Account, FAAN’s MD accused States that partnered Federal Government to construct airports of collecting revenues from the airports.

    He also told the committee FAAN had commenced the rehabilitation of dilapidated infrastructure at Murtala Muhammad International Airport Lagos in phases.

    He however assured the rehabilitation work will soon commence at other airports across the country, while blaming the slow pace of work on delay in the release of appropriated funds in previous budget.

  • FAAN boss assures on workers’ promotion

    The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, has assured the agency’s workers of resolving all labour matters, including stagnation and promotion in the organisation, in accordance with due process.

    Dunoma made the promise at the weekend in Lagos after the inauguration of the national secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

    The FAAN boss said the management had noted all the requests made by ANAP, assuring that there was the need to work with unions in the organisation to ensure industrial harmony.

    On the withdrawal of condition of service from the Salaries and Wages Commission as a result of delays in the implementation, Dunoma advised ANAP to prepare a new one for  consideration by the Minister of State for Aviation.

    Earlier, Secretary-General of ANAP, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, commended Dunoma for promoting workers’ welfare.

    Saidu appealed to him to provide them a plot of land to build their national headquarters.

    He explained that the union had observed  its  role in resolving the issues of stagnation and promotion, noting that the Salaries and Wages Commission was not doing well in handling workers’ condition of service of aviation agencies.

    Saidu said: “We advise that the human resources should not take the condition of service to the Salaries and Wages Commission in view of the fact that the Federal Government is not funding the salaries of aviation parastatals.

    “We have written a letter to the minister to retrieve the condition of service from salaries and wages in the past seven years.”

    He said the union would be forced to protest against those in the Commission that were blocking the full implementation of the condition of service.

    Saidu praised the FAAN boss for  providing the union an office.

     

  • ICAO to inaugurate FAAN facility as global training centre

    The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is set to commission the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) Training Centre, designated as Global Training Centre by Airports Council International (ACI) for Africa region, General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu.

    The facility situated at the international wing of the Lagos Airport will be inaugurated this Friday.

    According to her, the commissioning and designation of the facility as ICAO/ACI Global Training Centre would further enhance training of technical personnel for the industry.

    Yakubu explained that before the facility was approved, inspectors from ICAO had visited the facility regularly and discovered some open items, which she said were closed by FAAN’s management before the final approval was given by ICAO.

    She recalled that the facility was designated as an ICAO/ACI training facility in Mauritius in 2017 during the ACI meeting in that country.

    She said the nod given the facility by the global body  would make it easier and cheaper for technical personnel on the continent to be trained on aviation matters, adding that ICAO’s approved instructors would be engaged for training of personnel.

    Yakubu said FAAN’s Managing Director, Saleh  Dunoma;  who also doubles as the President of ACI-Africa  accelerated the upgrading the facilities to its present status.

    She said: “Sometime last year, during the ACI meeting in Mauritius, FAAN training school was designated as an ICAO training centre. By this Friday, ICAO will be coming to Nigeria for the commissioning of the facility.

    “One of the advantages of the training centre is that it will make it easier for member countries to train their personnel in Nigeria and it is also cheaper for them to come to Nigeria to be trained, rather than going to United Kingdom, United States and other countries around the world.

    “Another advantage is that there will be more opportunity for those in the region to get trained. You know when cost is not really a factor; more people will be factored in for training. There is also accessibility for trainees and the weather conditions are favourable in Nigeria, while the learning facilities are fantastic and new.
    “For ICAO to designate us as a training centre, you will know that everything that we needed to put in place have been put in place. The training facilities are up to date. The instructors will be coming from all over the world and they are ICAO trained instructors.”

    On the ongoing certification of some international airports by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Yakubu assured that some of the airports would be certified by 2019.

    She recalled that the international wings of Lagos and Abuja were certified in 2017 by the regulatory authority, stressing that officials from ICAO were also assisting FAAN in the certification exercise.

    “You know there are certain conditions that must be met before an airport is certified and before MMA and Abuja Airports were certified last year, we had to fulfill all these conditions and before any other airport would be certified, same conditions, too have to be met.

    “Recently, a team from ICAO came around during the Airport Excellence (APEX) training, which was held in Nigeria, the team went to Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu Airports. I can assure you that next year, one or more airports would also be certified after we have fulfilled all the conditions,” she assured.

     

  • FAAN goes for modern scanners to boost security at airports

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has ordered for modern scanners to boost security at airports in the country.

    The General Manager, Customer Services, FAAN, Mrs Ebele Okoye, disclosed this at the Second Quarter Stakeholders Forum held at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Tuesday.

    The stakeholders present at the forum included the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Police Force and the Directorate of State Services.

    Others are the Nigeria Air Force, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian airlines and airport cab operators amongst others.

    Okoye said the “NEED Scanner” was capable of doing specific jobs such as detection of hard drugs, ammunition and food.

    She said: “Arrangements have been made to bring these scanners to Nigeria. They are different from what we have presently because they can detect anything inside a baggage without manual checks.

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    “Our goal is to reduce interface between passengers and officials of agencies at the airport in order to curb corrupt practices and also improve service delivery at our airports.”

    According to her, the forum is one of the obligations of FAAN as outlined in the reviewed FAAN Service Charter and it is aimed at improving relationship between FAAN and the stakeholders.

    The Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, represented by FAAN’s Director of Operations, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, said the cordial relationship between FAAN and the stakeholders must be sustained for efficient and effective service delivery.

    “I enjoin us to join hands together to uplift our airports so that we can achieve our mission statement of being among the best airport groups in the world.

    “This forum is to ensure that the cordial relationship that existed is strengthened so as to achieve excellence at all times.

    “This is an important road map for us in the aviation industry to ensure service improvement as feedback mechanism,” he said.

    On her part, Mrs Victoria Shin-Aba, General Manager, MMIA,  said FAAN was constantly seeking ways to improve customer service, especially with the  recent inauguration of a feedback application  at the airport.

    Shin-Aba noted that the app, an initiative of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), would give passengers and the general public opportunity to register their complaints or commend the quality of services being rendered by government agencies at the airports.

    “The application also gives assurance that such complaints will be attended to and resolved within 72hours, in line with the provisions of Executive Order 1 of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” she said.

    NAN

  • FAAN inaugurates multi-storey car park at Lagos airport

    FAAN inaugurates multi-storey car park at Lagos airport

    Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ), in partnership with Seymour Aviation Ltd on Wednesday inaugurated a multi-storey car park with a capacity for about 1, 300 cars at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport ( MMIA ), Lagos.

    The six-storey facility, built through a Public Private Partnership ( PPP ) was financed by Fidelity Bank Plc.

    The Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, said at the occasion that the facility which would be for a 30-year tenor, would solve the problem of indiscriminate parking within and around the airport.

    He said: “I wish to state that this facility is long overdue and equally timely as it will improve passenger facilitation and reduce the menace of indiscriminate parking within and around the airport.

    “This project is one of the numerous partnerships FAAN has, and is still exploring to improve the infrastructure development at our airports. ”

    Dunoma, who was represented by Alhaji Salisu Daura, the Director of Engineering Services in the agency, said the authority had introduced some measures to ensure a seamless management of the car park by the concessionaire.

    These include restriction at the departure frontage to a drop zone only, enforcement of a no-pick -up zone at the “D” and “E” arrival of the terminal building and designation of parking lots to all escort vehicles at the old temporary car park.

    He added that a task force comprising of MMIA management staff, aviation security, Nigeria Air Force, Nigeria Police and tow vehicle operators, had been constituted to enforce the restrictions and tow any vehicle parked in front of the terminal building and in the airport vicinity.

    Dunoma appealed to stakeholders, passengers and other airport users to cooperate with the airport management for an effective operation.

    Also speaking, the Managing Director of Seymour Aviation Ltd, Mr Francis Ikenga, described the car park as a milestone for the country as it met all international standards.

    Ikenga said it was equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities including Closed Circuit Television ( CCTV ) cameras mounted on every floor and around the premises, adequate conveniences for both male and female users on every floor and elevators.

    “To ensure uninterrupted power supply, the facility is equipped with a standby generator that can provide power for 24 hours.

    “Passengers will also enjoy protection from the effects of weather elements as they disembark from their vehicles within the facility and move into the terminal without using an umbrella,”he said.

    On his part, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, said the facility would be of great benefit to passengers and airport users.

    NAN

  • FAAN, NiMet get international certification – Minister

    FAAN, NiMet get international certification – Minister

    Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ) has received international certification for Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA ).

    The Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika while receiving the certification of FAAN and Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( NiMet ) in
Abuja on Tuesday, said both certificates were huge achievements toward security and safety in the aviation sector.

    He said that Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, was the first international Airport in Nigeria to meet the requirement by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and NCAA regulations.

    “This is indeed a huge achievement as far as we are concerned, Mr President had told us to secure this country and manage it, therefore, inline with his vision we align in building institutions and getting them to work well.
    “Because once that is achieved it means that we are managing the country well, strong institutions will definitely begets strong nation.

    The country had tried time and again to certify our airports in the past.

    “It is a global requirements by International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO ) convention and Aerodrome requires that airports must be standardised.
    “Under different ownership, under different cultures and climates, under different conditions all over the world and they must be standardise and they must reflect certain minimum standard of safety and security.

    “This made it very paramount to ensure that our airports are certified.

    “We promised the nation that we will get these airports certified, today by the grace of God we have achieved that milestone,” he said.

    According to him, they are beginning to certify the airports with the Murtala Muhammed International Airport been the first to be certified by NCAA through ICAO standards.

    He said this certification borders on safety which is a huge achievement in making sure that the nation institutions are strong, dynamic, focused and sensitive.

    Sirika, however, commended the Ministry of Transportation for making the certification achievable and possible, stating that they hope to get certification for Nnamdi Nzikiwe airport before the end of the year.

    He said they would ensure that both international and domestic airports get certified which would increase the value, the insurance would be low, charges and ticket would be lower as a result of the certification.

    The Minister of State noted that the world will be at peace to know that Nigeria aviation is secured with flight operation being safe and secured within and outside the country.

    He said that Mr President and the National Council had approved the concessioning of four major airports in the country which are Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt.

    Sirika further said that Nigeria will host the International Civil Aviation Organisation World Aviation Forum taking place on the Nov. 20 to Nov. 22 in Abuja, which is the first time the forum will be held outside Canada.

    Speaking earlier, Managing Director of FAAN, Saleh Dunoma said FAAN has successfully completed the Aerodrome certification process of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

    He said that the Aerodrome certification is an international requirement with the primary objective to ensure that all international Airports meets international safety standards.

    “Aerodrome certification means ensuring the standardisation and harmonisation of airport service, facilities and procedures, as well as ensuring uniformity in safety.”

    He said that the drive toward certification of Nigeria airports was yielding positive result as Nigeria was implementing one of the critical safety targets.

    He said that Nigeria started the process of certification 11 years ago but due to several reasons they were unable to certify the airports until now.

    According to him, with the certification of the Murtala Muhammad Airport, they will concentrate on the Nmandi Nzikiwe international Airport in Abuja, then to other airport.

    He said FAAN was committed in the drive to get the aerodrome certification for all the airports in Nigeria.

    Dunoma said that the certification would be renewed after three years, which will be year 2020.

    Director for Western and Central Africa, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

    Mr Sani Marshi, the Director-General of NiMet presented the International Standard Organisation (ISO) 2015 certification to the minister.

    He said that NiMet was the first in the continent to have been given the international certification in compliance with international best practices.

    He said that this is a huge achievement in the Nigerian aviation sector as Nigeria would become an example to other African countries.

    Mr Mam Sait Jallow, ICAO Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said that both certifications are two key standards related to safety as most of the aircraft accidents are due to issued related to runway safety and also weather conditions.

    “These are really key achievements which we wanted to witness and we won’t stop here because we are still in house and we have to climb on the roofs to publish what we have done.

    “Technically, we have just concluded phase four and as far as certification is concerned, we now need to publish aeronautical information to the world for them to know that the Murtala Mohammed Airport is now certified likewise NiMet,” Jallow said.

  • FAAN collaborates with states on airport land protection

    FAAN collaborates with states on airport land protection

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is to collaborate with states government on the encroachment on airport land across the country.

    Alhaji Saleh Dunoma, FAAN Managing Director, disclosed this at the 15th National Council on Transportation (NCT) in Sokoto on Tuesday.

    He said that residential and commercial developments are going on around airports in Nigeria without the permission and supervision of relevant authourities.

    Dunoma said that the protection of the airports land would allow for development that meets international standards and free of obstructions.

    “We are proposing the protection of airports land because this is the best forum for all the states government because they are all here.

    “Land allocated for development of the airports all over the country was by states to the Federal Government and FAAN is the custodian of that land.

    “In almost all the States, there are encroachments on these lands, for the simple reason that airports development takes several years and this gave the public the signal that there is no development.

    “We are collaborating with states in order to bring the right development around the airports and to control the development around them.

    “And the development are to be complimentary to the airports operations so that we do not have conflicts of interest with the kind of development we are going to get at the airports,’’ he said.

    Dunoma said that the collaboration would also focus on the specification of building around the airports in terms of approved height and design.