BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
To help contribute to industrial harmony and development, ex-workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have launched a new body, the Former Airport Administrators Network (FAANET).
According to them, the initiative is fuelled by the need to leverage their collective experience to improve airport administration in the country.
Comrade Jolly Iyotoide Ndidi, retired General Manager of Human Resources at FAAN, has been appointed the pioneer chairman of the Board of Trustees, with Comrade Adetomiwa Simeon Kolawole, retired General Manager of Credit Control, serving as secretary.
Other members include Engr. Sadiq Muhammad Tijjani, Hajia Salamatu Baiwa Umar-Eluma, Alhaji Ibrahim Daiyabu Sulaiman, Comrade Awolowo Okogbo, and Mrs. Nwokoye Ebele Angela, all retired FAAN officials.
Comrade Ndidi emphasized the role FAANET intends to play in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“The new body, duly registered and recognized by the Corporate Affairs Commission, will become very active in helping to shape and foster continuous improvements in airport administration,” he said.
He commended FAAN’s current management and staff for infrastructural and process improvements and urged the government to provide adequate funding to ensure world-class, state-of-the-art facilities and services across Nigerian airports.
He added that the Board of Trustees expects interested veterans to step forward and take leading roles in the various organs of FAANET.
“We saw the need to give a voice to the collateral wealth of knowledge we have garnered in our service to our fatherland, as airport administrators spanning many years, in order to connect the past with the present,” the board said in a statement.
Comrade Ndidi further stressed the importance of giving back to the sector, noting, “It would be unfair to the country, which has invested so much in our lives, to sit back without contributing to the system.”
He said FAANET’s debut will provide solutions to the myriad challenges facing Nigeria’s aviation sector, drawing from the trustees’ experiential perspectives and rich institutional memory.
The board expressed gratitude to veteran colleagues who supported the registration of FAANET, including Hajia Salamatu, Jolly Ndidi, Awolowo Okogbo, Mrs. Olonishakin, Emeto Phillips, J. B. Shalangwa, M. A. Akewushola, and Engr. Sadiq Tijani.
“The launch of FAANET marks a new chapter for FAAN veterans. It is our hope that through collective wisdom and collaboration, we can enhance airport operations and ensure that Nigeria’s aviation system continues to grow and meet international standards,” the trustees said in their statement, congratulating all FAAN veterans on the successful registration of the organization.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
