There has been power interruption at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos since Monday due to a breakdown of equipment that supplies electricity to the airport.
This is as the Strabag staff quarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been thrown into darkness for the same reason, just as some employees of the agency alleged sabotage by some personnel at the electrical department of FAAN.
A source close to FAAN told SaharaReporters that FAAN now depended on generators to supply electricity to the terminal and the offices within the airport, while the power supply is rationed at the staff quarters.
According to the source, residents of the staff quarters only enjoy power supply for four hours – 8 pm to 12 am daily since the breakdown of equipment on Monday, while the international wing is permanently on generating set.
The source, however, claimed that some staff in the electrical department may be sabotaging the management with the power cut in order to illegally get approved sum for the replacement of the so-called faulty panel, stressing that this was not new in the system.
The source said: “We have been in darkness at the Strabag staff quarters in the past four days. The quarters rely on generating set for power supply for only four hours daily. Also, the international terminal has been experiencing the same poor experience for that number of the day.
“But, people are suspicious that some staff in the system may want to use it to get money out of the management of FAAN. They all know that the present Managing Director, Mr Rabiu Yadudu doesn’t know much about the system. They see him as a puppet of the aviation minister. They know he is not capable of running effectively the agency. FAAN is very complex and it requires someone who knows the industry so well to handle it.”
However, it was gathered that the managing director of FAAN and some other Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in some of the agencies are out of the country to Canada for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conference.
It was learnt that the CEOs may be out of the country for two weeks, which means that the poor situation of power supply would continue until Yadudu returns from the trip.
No official response from FAAN as the spokesperson’s number could not be reached.
But, another source in the Public Affairs Department of FAAN, confirmed the development to SaharaReporters.
The source said that the management was already aware of the situation and would tackle it appropriately even in the absence of the managing director.
“It is true that we have the power supply challenge to the international terminal and the staff quarters at Strabag, but efforts are ongoing to rectify it. Even, in the absence of the Managing Director, the issue can be rectified as he handed over to a director in the agency,” the source said.
