The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, has vowed that if she ever becomes disillusioned on the job, she would step down voluntarily.
Kuku made the comments during an appearance on Television Continental (TVC) on Thursday evening, responding to questions about the aviation sector.
“If I am tired, I will get out of the job,” Kuku declared. She acknowledged that she has “stepped on toes” during her tenure and that this would likely continue, though with caution. “I have stepped on toes and I am still stepping on toes and I know that I need to do that with caution but definitely not at the jeopardy of the airport system,” she said. “If I have to, I will step down, I will resign if I see that it is not working, but what is important is to make sure that I do what is right.”
Kuku also addressed the ongoing debate over the N580bn budget required for the renovation of Nigeria’s aging runways. She emphasized the necessity of the funds, which have been met with skepticism from various critics questioning the large sum.
“I would like to clarify two things; First, we have a number of runways in Nigeria today, we have mentioned to you that there are 22 airports that are owned by the Federal Government and we also support some that are state-owned,” Kuku explained. She went on to highlight that many of the country’s runways are far beyond their expected lifespan, with most having exceeded 30 years.
“The average lifespan of a runway is about 20-25 years and a lot of our runways in Nigeria have actually exceeded that time. Meaning that we had them for 30 to over 35 years,” she added. “What it means is that we have to reconstruct those runways. The N580bn that I initially mentioned was for over 17 runways and it is not just runways but also includes some perimeter fencing and so on.”
Addressing questions on the budget’s necessity, Kuku urged critics to better understand the complexities of aviation infrastructure maintenance. “Just look it up in Google to understand what it means to build runways, taxi expansion and all that is needed to be done,” she advised.
Reflecting on her first 100 days in office, Kuku highlighted the restoration of order at Nigerian airports as a significant accomplishment. “We have spent too much time talking about the decay and it is time for us to start fixing things and that is exactly what we are doing,” she said. “And what is more critical is the continuity, meaning that wherever we stop, somebody needs to pick that up and that is the biggest challenge that we see. Because we have a new administration we tend not to complete or continue old projects.”
Kuku expressed satisfaction with the improvements that have been made, particularly in terms of the cleanliness and overall atmosphere of Nigerian aerodromes. “If you have been a traveller in the last 90 days, you will observe that the airports are cleaner and more friendly in terms of the atmosphere,” she noted.