FG Sacks FAAN Director of Finance Over Appointment Irregularities

The federal government has fired Director of Finance of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Tochukwu Bede Uchendu.

Leadership reports that Uchendu was relieved of his duties due to a petition by two leading aviation labour unions, Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), over irregularities associated with his appointment and unapproved waiver grants worth N1 billion. The unions are also said to have petitioned for the sack of the commercial director of FAAN.

The report further states that “In a letter dated April 27, 2015, which was signed by the director of Human Resources, A. A. Tsafe, for the minister of aviation, Uchendu was directed to vacate the office until a due process initiated for his appointment was concluded and formal letter of appointment issued to him.”

Update:

A spokesperson for FAAN recently released a statement stating that the report is false:

The attention of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been drawn to a misleading news story published recently in some newspapers, alleging that the Honourable Minister of Aviation had sacked FAAN’s Director of Finance, Mr. Tochuku Bede Uchendu over irregularities in his appointment and the granting of unauthourised waivers worth over one billion naira by him.

The Authority hereby wishes to state that the story in question was not only false but also malicious as Mr. Uchendu’s appointment was neither irregular nor did he ever grant waiver to any FAAN customer, not to talk of waiver amounting to over one billion naira.

The Director of Finance of the Authority does not have the power to grant waiver to any customer. On his appointment, Mr. Uchendu was only asked to wait for the conclusion of all formalities (due process). That process is still on-going.

We therefore urge members of the public to discountenance the said story.

Yakubu Dati

GM (Corporate Affairs)

Photo Credit: Daily Times