Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has suspended some staff involved in alleged diversion of funds from the agency for private use.
The accused were said to have diverted the agency’s funds into different accounts of staff and others over certain period of time until the management discovered them.
Upon discovery, the management set up a committee, which investigated the major suspect who promptly named others involved in the fraud and they were swiftly suspended.
It was when the committee drilled the main suspect who confessed that some of the money was sent to her brother’s accounts, which prompted the management to further invite more suspects who were subsequently suspended.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives, who got wind of the matter, decided to investigate it and had detained the prime suspects.
FAAN has also concluded plans to set up audit team to further investigate financial transactions in the affected department.
The objectives of the audit are to carry out investigation on the activities of the personnel in the accounts and commercial departments, to close all loopholes on the sources of revenues and to ensure that all revenues are captured and accounted for.
The FAAN management said after the audit it would further modernise its accounting system, explore new ways to boost revenues and also to continuously monitor activities of its personnel involved in revenue generation and accounting.
It expressed hope that the EFCC would unravel the details of the fraud, punish those involved and also work with management to forestall such from happening again.
The agency said it was laden with huge responsibility to effectively manage the airports, fund the rehabilitation of many airport terminals and also complete ongoing work at some of the airport facilities under construction, so it needs more funds to effectively manage the airports.
After the audit, it would adopt a policy of rotating its personnel in the accounts and commercial departments every two years so that no person would stay in one unit for more than that period of time, noting that people think of perpetrating fraud and all kinds of malfeasance when they stay too long in one post.
