The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has acknowledged that the problem of passengers being extorted by officials of government agencies at airports is outside the realm of control of his ministry. Keyamo made this statement in a post on X on Sunday, revealing that he has been inundated with complaints from concerned members of the public regarding this issue, which has been tarnishing Nigeria’s public image.
He emphasized that the majority of the agencies engaged in this misconduct do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Aviation Ministry, despite their presence at airports.
Keyamo expressed, “I have been inundated with complaints about the scourge of begging and extortion at our international airports by a few unscrupulous individuals who are tarnishing the reputation of all of us.
“My phone is constantly buzzing with messages from well-meaning Nigerians about this matter.
“To clarify, most of the agencies responsible for this misconduct are not under the purview of the Aviation Ministry, although they are based at our airports.”
Nevertheless, Keyamo mentioned that his ministry is collaborating with relevant government bodies and agencies to address these grievances.
He stated, “I have been collaborating closely with other Ministers, government bodies, and agencies that oversee these entities, and we are on the brink of finding a solution.
“We are all operating under the guidance of the National Security Adviser, who convened a meeting a few days ago to address this issue, and we will soon unveil concrete measures to combat this unsightly trend. We are grateful to Nigerians for their unwavering vigilance on this matter.”
The minister’s response coincides with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria issuing a warning on June 14 to airport users against engaging in bribery and supporting extortion.
The agency declared that any staff or government agency operating at airports caught accepting bribes would be subject to disciplinary action.
Furthermore, the agency announced the establishment of a task force to eradicate soliciting, extortion, and other illicit activities at airports nationwide.
