How Aisha Buhari ’s Friend Exploited FAAN Restructuring for Her Personal Benefit

A civil service friend of the President’s wife, Aisha
Buhari has been accused of gross abuse of office and
corruption.

The recent restructuring exercise carried out by the
Federal Government at the Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria (FAAN) was characterized by deep injustice.
This manifested in the heavy doctoring of the original
list of Directors, General Managers, Deputy General
Managers and Assistant General Managers to be either
sacked or demoted by the Director of Human
Resources, Hajia Salamatu.
The Human Resources Director was earmarked for
transfer to another ministry and on a lower salary
grade level, as recommended by the Winnifred Oyo-Ita
Committee on the restructuring of FAAN. Curiously, she
is the only Director unaffected by the exercise.
Some of the staff she and the former Managing
Director, Mr. George Uriesi, brought into FAAN escaped
being demoted. Among these are Hajia Mariam, Deputy
General Manager, Business Development;.Victor Egu,
Deputy General Manager, Advert; Helen Akinkugbe,
Deputy General Manager, Commercial Inspectorate;
Nathan Aluyi, Assistant General Manager, Retail; and
Abine Ochei, Assistant General Manager, Commercial
Inspectorate.
Most of those affected by the exercise were brought
into FAAN by former Minister of Aviation, Senator
Stella Oduah. Hajia Salamatu was appointed by
Senator Oduah, sources said, because of her strong
support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sources said she, however, started gravitating towards
the All Progressives Congress (APC) after realizing that
the PDP was on its way out of power.
FAAN insiders are convinced that she is angling for the
position of the Managing Director and may succeed.
Insiders continue to ask why she has been retained
while other Directors were recruited because of their
allegiance to the PDP were sacked.
FAAN sources disclosed to a correspondent that the
Director of Human Resources is a very close friend of
Mrs. Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu
Buhari.
Their friendship dates back to when Hajia Salamatu
was a General Manager in FAAN. Sources also
disclosed that Aluyi , Assistant General Manager,
Retail, is a nephew of APC National Chairman, Mr.
John Odigie-Oyegun.
The recent exercise has reinforced the view in FAAN
that the Buhari administration is only paying lip service
to the fight against corruption. Those excluded were
all initially demoted as reflected in the original list
from levels 16 and 15 to levels 10, 12 and 14.
It was gathered that the tampering of the original list
had the backing of the Minister of State for Aviation,
Mr. Hadi Sirika, who is related to President Buhari.
What remains unclear is is whether Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, was privy to the
alteration of the original list by Hajia Salamatu with
the approval of the Presidency.