This approval indicates that all official motorcades of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and that of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima will henceforth be made to pay the toll gate levies in any of the nation’s airports.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo made these known on Tuesday after the Executive Council meeting presided over by President Tinubu.
He explained that the memoranda presented by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development had recommended an exemption for the president and the vice president.
However, President Tinubu overruled the recommendation, insisting that he and the VP alongside their aides must pay tolls.
This is to further affirm that henceforth there will be no more fee exemptions granted to any vehicle passing through the airport tollgates operated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.
The Minister of Aviation lamented that the government was losing over 82 per cent of the revenue it should have earned from the e-tags that provide access to the airports for the previously exempted categories of Nigerians.
“The first approval is in respect of mandatory payment of access fees by all visitors at Nigeria federal Airports across the country saying no more exemption for VIPs, when we came to the office, we met a tradition on the ground where at the end of the year all manners of VIPs would approach us for complementary tags or stickers whereby you see them coming to our Airports nationwide they don’t pay for parking or access fees.”
“Our memo says ‘except the President and the Vice President’. But the President overruled me and said he and the Vice President will pay, he said everybody will pay,” Keyamo said.
The Minister asserted that VIPs who have the money to pay tolls are evading payment leaving the authorities to rely on charges gotten from the poor.
“They don’t pay the access fees. They don’t pay for parking, they don’t pay for essential services at airports, and they are VIPs.
“And I told myself on my team, I said not under my watch. It will not happen,” he said.
Keyamo vowed to end episodes where uniform officers harass airport staff at the gates, assuring citizens that more cameras will be “planted” in strategic positions to capture those culpable.
He said “the Nigerian government stands to generate N10bn annually from tolls, even as it considers a rebate for military veterans.”
Aviation Activities
Speaking on his intervention in aviation activities as it concerns the closure of Dana Airline, Keyamo said that “any airline operator that shows substantial signs of danger will continue to experience his interference in their activities to save lives until he leaves office.”
He further warned regulators in the aviation sector saying that he would breathe down when necessary to ensure compliance with laws.
The Minister said; “I will breath down on the regulators. I must direct them to do what the law says diligently. I will ensure that they don’t water down the regulatory measures.”