The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu has disclosed that the buildings demolished at Runway View Estate at Ajao Estate were illegally constructed and left standing in the positions that are clearly very dangerous to its operations.
Speaking over the weekend in Lagos during the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee visit to the site of the demolition in Ajao Estate in Lagos, Yadudu said FAAN motive and primary aim of the exercise was for safety and security of flight operations and also the safety and security of those inside the house.
He stated that: “The exercise is for the dual purposes of our own safety and security and overall, for international standards.
The exercise is concluded and I am very sure the House Committee on Aviation will communicate to Nigerians on their fact finding on the exercise that we just concluded”.
Commenting on how to prevent future encroachment, FAAN boss said the exercise is
demolition, but removal of illegal buildings by FAAN.
He said: “There is a purpose and direction for removing the illegal structures. The illegal owners may have lost money, but we saved lives.
FAAN will continue to do oversight, monitor and carry out surveillance of the place in conjunction with the other residents of the area, but it is a case of direct and willful disregard to the authority and rule of law. That was what created it. We also have regular patrols in those areas”.
Yadudu further stated that FAAN is going to quickly re-erect and protect the fencing as it has procured a radar surveillance patrol system, which is automatic and zooms around 360 degrees with a radius of about 8km, which means it goes beyond the airport itself.
He pointed out that the radar surveillance patrol system can spot anything beyond the airport.
“We spent about three years processing it and right now, it is on the high sea for installation at Lagos and Abuja airports. It detects any image, even a rabbit, it will focus on it.
We also bought a mobile rationale video for that purpose. We have the automatic and the manual patrols. They are very effective for the people residing in the area. What went on is not for lack of patrol, but for clear willful disregard to the laws. It has always been protected”, Yadudu disclosed.
On why it took so long to come up with this device, FAAN MD explained that
people are not listening as they kept on building.
He said now, FAAN has a bigger reason, which is the recertification of the airport, adding that the international community knows it is a violation of safety.
According to Yadudu: “When we got the first one, these factors were among the issues they raised and they gave us time to remedy it before they return for recertification. We told them to give us one year to address it, but it took us four years to achieve. So, it took so long because we were briefing the residents on development. This is something that has been happening over the past 30 years. For the time that it happened, we were not there, but I can’t answer that.
Yadudu said FAAN was forced to take this action, because there is the need for the Authority to protect the airport for recertification.
Speaking during visit, Hon. Ifeanyi Chudy Momah, Chairman, Sub-Committee on Ajao Estate demolition said they came on the spot assessment after the session they had with the management team of FAAN.
Momah said the committee will make their position known officially to the public in due course.
He noted that the
committee will address the media on some of the lingering issues.
1 comment
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