President Bola Tinubu has ordered a total ban on the sale or transfer of properties owned by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) located within or around airport premises.
The directive was disclosed on Thursday by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, during a briefing with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
Keyamo explained that the order overrides any previous government decisions to liquidate such assets, describing them as critical national infrastructure that must remain publicly owned.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining on-site accommodation for essential airport staff — including firefighters and air traffic controllers — to ensure rapid response during emergencies.
“These properties will not be handed over to private entities. If anyone thinks they’ve acquired one, they should reconsider,” the minister warned.
In addition, the FEC approved eight key initiatives to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation sector, focusing on safety, technology upgrades, concessions, and enhanced security.
Among the approvals were procurement contracts for maintenance and technical support of Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) systems at the nation’s five major international airports — Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu.
The council also greenlit the deployment of advanced Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) energy infrastructure and 14 VHF remote communication systems for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to boost air navigation reliability.
To meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, approval was also granted for the purchase of 15 specialised airport rescue and firefighting trucks for the major airport hubs.
Keyamo further revealed that NAMA will soon move into its own purpose-built headquarters in Abuja, noting that housing sensitive command operations in rented commercial spaces poses security risks.
