Osinbajo pays Lagos Airport a surprise visit

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, paid a surprise visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, just days after the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC, adopted a 60-day Action Plan to push Ease of Doing Business reforms in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Prof. Osinbajo was accompanied on the tour of the airport’s facilities by the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.

The Acting President was conducted round by Mr Ephraim Nwodo, General Manager, Mechanical, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The facilities inspected by the acting president included the conveyor belt, travollator, visa on arrival section, screening machines and the new departure terminal, which is under construction.

Osinbajo expressed dissatisfaction with the state of some of the facilities, adding that there was need to urgently make them function at optimal level.

Speaking to newsmen at the end of the visit, he maintained that the Federal Government was committed to improving the ease of doing business in the country.

“The airport is one of the major places where we need to ensure that facilities are working and that things are being done properly.

“So, we have looked around and have seen quite a few of the equipment.

“There are many things that need to be done and need to be corrected and we have to work on them.”

“As part of our work on the Ease of Doing Business, on making the environment friendly, not just for local businesses but also for those who want to come and do business in Nigeria, the airport obviously is one of the major places where we need to ensure that facilities are working and that things are being run properly.”

“So we have looked around, we’ve seen some of the equipment. There are many many things that need to be done, many things that need to be corrected, and we have to work on them as quickly as possible.”

Also speaking, Sirika said he was in agreement with the observations raised by the acting president.

“I agree with the acting president a hundred per cent that work needs to be done to improve our airport and that is why we are here,’’ he added.

At Tuesday’s meeting of PEBEC, Prof. Osinbajo had said “we are trying to improve the business environment in three broad respects; the entry and exit of goods, the entry and exit of persons into Nigeria, and then general government transparency and efficiency in government agencies and parastatals.”

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