The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s aviation sector following a high-level strategic visit by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mahmud Adam Kambari, to FAAN headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, April 20, 2026.
The visit, described as a familiarization and alignment engagement, brought together FAAN’s top management team led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive, Olubunmi Kuku, alongside directors and senior officials from the Ministry. It marked a significant step toward deepening institutional collaboration, with a shared focus on improving efficiency, sustainability, and overall service delivery across Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.
During the engagement, Kuku delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining FAAN’s operational framework, strategic priorities, and its critical role in managing the country’s passenger and cargo airport infrastructure. She highlighted the Authority’s workforce capacity while also drawing attention to key operational pressures, including pension obligations, ongoing financial reconciliations with the Ministry of Finance, rising energy costs, and increasingly complex security demands that require continuous personnel training and attitudinal reorientation.
Despite these challenges, she pointed to measurable progress across several performance areas, particularly in human capital development. According to the FAAN MD, thousands of personnel and industry stakeholders have benefited from targeted training programmes covering aviation security, engineering, airport operations, safety, environmental management, and broader capacity-building initiatives. She noted that these efforts reflect FAAN’s commitment to professionalism and alignment with global best practices.
Kuku also highlighted improvements in passenger facilitation, enhanced staff welfare, and a noticeable cultural transformation driven by the Authority’s Acculturalization Programme. She further announced the successful recertification of both Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, describing the achievement as a testament to FAAN’s adherence to international safety and security standards, as well as improved inter-agency collaboration.
In his remarks, Kambari commended FAAN’s leadership for its resilience and reform-oriented approach, while outlining clear policy priorities aimed at strengthening institutional performance. He called for a more robust Public-Private Partnership framework to unlock investment opportunities within the sector, alongside improved transparency and efficiency in contract processes. He also stressed the need for professional certification of procurement personnel to ensure alignment with global standards.
The Permanent Secretary further underscored the importance of strategic workforce planning in line with current fiscal realities and urged a comprehensive review of power generation and energy management models to enhance operational sustainability across airport facilities.
The visit concluded with an inspection tour of facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where Kambari received detailed briefings on ongoing projects and operational systems, providing him with first-hand insight into FAAN’s infrastructure and service delivery environment.
The engagement reinforces a shared commitment between the Ministry and FAAN to drive reforms, strengthen governance, and position Nigeria’s aviation sector for greater competitiveness and sustained growth on the global stage.
