Cynthia Ezegwu
President Bola Tinubu has approved the exclusion of all properties belonging to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) within and around airport premises across the country from sale to private individuals.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
According to Keyamo, the decision was taken to safeguard aviation operations and ensure that essential technical staff — including air traffic controllers, rescue and firefighting officers, security personnel, and navigational technicians — remain housed within airport environments for quick emergency response and operational efficiency.
He explained that the exclusion applies to all FAAN-owned residential and operational quarters that were previously built for aviation workers but had been occupied by retired staff or individuals claiming ownership.
“The President has graciously approved the exclusion of all FAAN properties in and around airports in the country from disposal to private individuals,” Keyamo said in a video shared on his verified X handle.
“These quarters were meant for very technical staff who must be available around the clock. The airport is an environment where you can have an emergency at any time, and you need these people to stay within government quarters inside the airport.”
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The minister noted that the affected properties had been listed for sale by a presidential committee on government properties established under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He added that the move would end long-standing disputes involving individuals who claimed to have purchased FAAN quarters through previous disposal exercises.
“I’m making this public announcement to people who thought they had bought — or purported to have bought — these properties: we will not give those properties to them. There is now a formal memo excluding them, and they remain government assets,” Keyamo stated.
The decision comes amid FAAN’s recent efforts to reclaim government-owned quarters in Kano and other states, where ownership disputes had arisen following unauthorised sales and occupation.