Who recalls the most ambitious rehabilitation programme that the aviation industry has ever experienced since inception, that happened in 2013? It was launched by the Federal Aviation Ministry to give Airports a major facelift.
Across the country, there are 23 Airports, supervised by Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) that this facelift affected.
FAAN is an organization statutorily charged to manage all Commercial Airports in Nigeria and provide service to both passenger and cargo airlines. Generally, to create conditions for the development in the most economic and efficient manner of air transport and the services connected with it.
FAAN performs its statutory duties, according to the policy guidelines provided by the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Transportation and is guided by these in all of its business dealings and agreements with contractors and various third parties with which it does business.
Established by Decree 45 of 1976, and christened as the Nigerian Airports Authority, NAA, the Agency oversees the operations and maintenance of all Federal airports. The aviation agency later was re-named, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN in August, 1995, following a major restructuring and reforms of the Nigerian Aviation sector by the Federal Government.
The upgrade and rehabilitation programme involved the remodelling and rehabilitation of 22 Federal government-owned airports around the country.
Many of the country’s airport terminals that had not been refurbished for long, were rehabilitated and remodelled to increase their capacity. That programme is 90 percent completed.
The 44-year-old agency is headed by Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu, its Managing Director. He is a skilled aviator with varied experience in the industry. He was the immediate past Director of Airport Operations (DAO), of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). He brought his flair for attention to detail, refinement and discipline to bear in his direct supervision that led to the certification of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, in 2017.
Appointed in May 2019, by President Muhammad Buhari, Mr Rabiu Yadudu, a Flight Captain, took over from the erstwhile Managing Director, Mr Saleh Dunoma, a certified engineer.
He is a consummate aviator who has induced so much professionalism into the daily service delivery obtained at each airport in the Country. Yadudu started his journey in the industry in 1993 with the defunct Nigeria Airways as a Licensed aircraft maintenance Engineer( Avionics). In 1997 he joined Kabo Air Ltd as a Co Pilot on their Boeing 727 aircraft, where he steadily progressed to become a Captain on the B747, and Chief Pilot. In 2014 Capt Yadudu was engaged as Deputy Director, and Captain on the National Air Ambulance at NEMA. This enormous wealth of experience is playing out in his administrative prowess at FAAN.
Recently, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu led a delegation to the nation’s 23 airports. The tour was aimed at assessing the infrastructural needs of the airports, while also evaluating their preparations for the annual surge in passenger traffic usually occasioned by the yuletide season, as well as the level of compliance with covid-19 protocols at the airports.
This is a ritual that the Captain Rabiu Yadudu led administration at FAAN has not stopped in practicing, for better service delivery in the Nation’s airports.
Prioritization of staff welfare and improvement on their conditions of service is key to Capt. Yadudu, as this has spurred staffera to continue to discharge their duties with the highest level of professionalism and dedication.
As part of his efforts to ensure transparency, Capt. Yadudu in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) inaugurated members of FAAN Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) in September, 2020.
Captain Rabiu Yadudu frowns at any form of shadiness and has stated repeatedly that corruption constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security and socio-economic development of Nigeria.
Rabiu stands against any staff member who intends to serially and flagrantly flout the doctrine of zero corruption in the Agency.
His administration is making efforts at curbing the menace of corruption and its attendant effects in the sector. Captain Yadudu emphasised that FAAN as an organization under the Federal Ministry of Aviation have taken steps in ensuring the implementation of various anti-corruption measures one of which is the ACTU that is being inaugurated.
A Pilot by training with over 7000hrs of flying time, Captain Yadudu has NCAA and FAA Airline Transport Pilot Licenses as a Captain on the Boeing B-747 aircraft (Kabo Air), Bombardier Learjet 45-XR( SkyJet Aviation) and Cessna Citation Sovereign (CE-680 , NEMA).
The helmsman holds professional certifications in Avionics, Airport Safety Management Systems, Airport Security Management, Air Transport Systems Management, amongst others, he qualified as Captain on B747 from the PAN AM International Flight Academy, Miami, Florida in June 2001.
Captain Yadudu is privileged to have attended many International courses aimed at building his capacity in all facets of aviation and airport management.
The consummate Captain ensures that he and his Team holds meetings often with Airline Operators of Nigeria and other relevant stakeholders, towards improving the relationship and growth of the industry.
Though a leader would have sworn enemies, Captain Yadudu has not stopped at anything to draw everyone closer to himself, within and outside the FAAN community.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the Editorial Board of TheScript Newspaper
