Chidoka Directs Agencies To Halt Payment For Capital Projects: Allays Fear Over Ebola Virus
The minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka has tasked all the parastatals in the Ministry to forward the list of all ongoing projects and their payment status to him even as he directed that all aviation agencies should halt further payments for all Capital Projects until verification on the status of the contracts are concluded.
The minister gave this directive recently in a letter he sent to the Managing Directors of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and the Director General of the Nigeria Civil aviation Agency (NCAA).
According to the Minister, all the Agencies, Chief Executives of the aviation agencies are to steadily increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) beginning from this year and to immediately stop irregular employment while the update on condition of service and scheme of service in all the agencies are to be concluded by September 23 this year.
The Minister who also placed embargo on further promotion and recruitment into any of the agencies under ministry directed the agencies to suspend further award of contracts on all information and communication technology (ICT) related projects to allow for an audit ,appraisal of infrastructure .
Meanwhile, he has also reassured Nigerians of safety against the deadly Ebola Virus at the Nigerian airports.
He said the screening of air passengers at the airport would no longer be on Africans alone but on the whites as well at the point of entry and exit.
According to him, this will help to further avert spread of the virus in the country adding that proactive measures have been taken to ensure he policy of checking both African and white air passengers is seriously adhered to.
He however stated that the Federal Government is doing its best within its ability to make the airports safe from the virus.
His words, “you can agree with me that the screening so far has been effective and the proactive manner with which our President has handled the issue of Ebola Virus Disease by declaring a national emergency is encouraging as it will help to fight against further spread of the virus.
“Nigeria’s commitment in keeping our airports Ebola-free is a total commitment that has the alignment of the unions and stakeholders in the aviation industry.”
