FAAN MD, Mr. George Uriesi
By Chinedu Eze
The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Tuesday confirmed the on-going restructuring in aviation agencies, which the Ministry of Aviation described as institutional reform that was aimed at streamlining the sector to make it more productive and goal oriented, as it gave the full detail of changes in the agency.
Parts of the restructuring include the establishment of three new directorates and the merging of one directorate, bringing the total number of directorates in the agency to nine.
According to statement issued by the FAAN management, the former Directorate of Environment has been collapsed into a department and would be headed by a General Manager, under the Directorate of Airport Operations, while the three new directorates include that of Projects, Legal Services and Cargo Development.
In effect, the nine directorates are Directorate of Airport Operations to be headed by Mr. Henry Omeogu. Directorate of Finance and Accounts, headed by Mr. Austin Tadafera, Directorate of Human Resources and Administration, headed by Hajia Salamatu Umar-Eluma and the Directorate of Legal Services headed by Mr. Mark Jacobs.
Others include the Directorate of Commercial and Business Development headed by Dr. Adeniyi Balogun, Directorate of Maintenance and Engineering headed by Olufemi Ogunode.
Directorate of Projects headed by Saleh Dunoma, Directorate of Security Services headed by Wendell Ogunedo and Directorate of Cargo Development headed by Mr. Uche Ofulue.
Reacting to this new development, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi, said: “The new structure of the organisation reflects a modern airport company’s administrative structure and focuses the organisation properly on executing its strategic objectives.”
He said that in the next five years the agency would carry out unprecedented programme aimed at improving the airports, improving services and boosting its revenue.
“We will be building massive new infrastructure across the network of airports. This calls for the full focus of a projects division. In the same vein, we are building massive cargo infrastructure in line with our strategy to develop the cargo business, hence the establishment of a full Cargo Development Directorate to drive this strategic thrust.”
Also the erstwhile Public Affairs Department of the agency has now been split into two separate departments, Corporate Communications and Protocol and Passages and Mr. Yakubu Datti, becomes the General Manager of Corporate Communications, while the former General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Akin Olukunle, becomes the General Manager of Protocol and Passages.
These changes, the statement said, had been approved by the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.