The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says it has commenced the automation of payment processes across its airports.
Speaking recently at a stakeholders’ forum with airport concessionaires in Lagos, Olubunmi Kuku, the managing director (MD) of FAAN, said the development started with the state’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).
Kuku said the new system will require the use of electronic cash registers (ECR) devices for payments, alongside the automation of toll gates and parking facilities to promote transparency and accountability.
“Today, the environment is slightly porous as people are just using physical ID cards and identification to pass through. We are actually going to be integrating that with BVN and NIN and, of course, biometrics on the domestic side,” she said.
Kuku reaffirmed FAAN’s commitment to providing smart airports and efficient processes for business partners, while directing concessionaires to make timely payments and comply with contract terms.
The MD directed all non-essential tankers parked at the airport premises to vacate or face sanctions.
“We are going to be taking very drastic actions because it is obnoxious for an airport environment. I have realised that a lot of these tankers do not belong to those who operate in our environment,” she said.
Kuku said concessionaires would be re-categorised based on business type, retail mix, and offerings to correct fee discrepancies and ensure fair charges.
On his part, Adebola Agunbiade, the FAAN’s director of commercial and business development, said 92 percent of the agency’s revenue comes from aeronautical sources, while only 8 percent is generated from non-aeronautical streams.
“This is not very good for us. International standard is 55 percent aeronautical revenue and 45 percent non-aeronautical, and we are very far from that,” Agunbiade said.
The director called for stakeholder support to help FAAN increase its non-aeronautical revenue.
He also announced a tariff review, citing losses caused by outdated charges.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
