…Selling staff quarters poses security risks, experts warn
By Chinelo Obogo
The ongoing accommodation crisis at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State, has taken a different dimension.
Those who bought some of houses at the airport’s staff quarters built for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are spoiling for war, vowing to legally block every attempt to have them evicted.
The threat of legal action was contained in a rejoinder sent to Daily Sun by anonymous beneficiaries of the property sales. This follows Daily Sun’s exclusive report that FAAN officials, including the Directors of Legal Services and Aviation Security, visited Kano in February and discovered that buyers had erected illegal structures at the quarters. After a three-week ultimatum to remove the extensions, FAAN demolished the illegal structures and issued vacation orders.
Daily Sun also reported that while some transferred members of staff of FAAN have complied with eviction orders given to them by the management, others remain defiant, insisting that they must benefit from the Owner-Occupier Scheme (OOS) of the federal government, which allows civil servants to buy government-owned houses they occupy.
The anonymous beneficiaries in the rejoinder said that the critics of the sale of the staff quarters ignored the dire state of the 40–50-year-old houses, focusing instead on renovation funds rather than advocating for new staff housing (either within airport zones for critical staff or elsewhere for general staff). They also claimed that many opposing the OOS policy are recent hires unfamiliar with civil service rules or retired staff fraudulently retained on payroll, a matter they said would be addressed legally.
“The current resistance within FAAN reflects insubordination, misrepresentation, and disregard for constituted authority, including defiance of presidential directives and attempts to discredit the SGF’s office. Most instigators are junior staff who benefit from other monetization perks like driver allowances, furniture grants, official vehicles, etc., yet deny housing benefits to their colleagues.
“With 40 per cent of salaries spent on rent, often for dilapidated homes, workers endure two decades of payments without ownership. The government’s policy aims to rectify this. FAAN’s management, however, is being misled by detractors. If this persists, legal action will follow. FAAN must remember: its duty is to protect employees, not prosecute them,” they stated.
Daily Sun learned that FAAN wasn’t properly consulted by the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) before the property sales were approved. A letter from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, signed by Mr. Idris Ibrahim, a Director of General Services, with reference number 58787/5.1/C.39/AQK/IV/521, addressed to the Managing Director of FAAN with the title: “Re: Offer of a Leasehold Interest in Federal Government Landed Property in the States: Aviation Staff Quarters, Phase 1, Ashton Road, Kano State” reminded FAAN that it had informed the management after the staff houses had already been sold; hence, they should stop the eviction process.
The letter read: “You may wish to recall that by a letter Ref. No. CM/546/G/1/135 dated 24th January, 2025 (copy attached as Annex 1), the Implementation Committee of the White Paper on the Commission of Inquiry into the Alienation of Federal Government Landed Property wrote to inform you that it had sold FAAN’s staff quarters at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to the occupants with Right of First Refusal in line with the Monetization Policy on Sale of Federal Government Landed Properties. The disposal of these properties to the said officers was due to the approval granted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation via letter Ref. No. 58787/5.1/C.39/AQK/IV/463 of 13th November, 2023. Copy of the letter is attached as Annex II.
“By a letter dated 9th January 2025 (copy attached as Annex III), the Association of Occupants of Aviation Staff Quarters Kano wrote to inform the OSGF of the 14-day eviction notice issued by FAAN to some of the buyers of the properties, despite the fact that the houses were sold to them by the Presidential Implementation Committee with recourse to due process. Copies of the eviction notice are attached as Annex IV. The purpose of this letter is to reiterate that FAAN stops the eviction process regarding the occupants that bought FAAN’s staff quarters at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and allow Federal Government Policy to take its course.”
Daily Sun made efforts to get across to Mr. Ibrahim who signed the letter to FAAN to ascertain among other issues if the PIC informed the Authority of its decision to sell the houses before the sale commenced or after the fact. Daily Sun also sought to know if the Authority raised any concerns especially on the security implications and if the committee consulted independent security experts to understand the pros and cons of selling off the houses due to its proximity to the airport. He responded saying he is not authorised to speak on the issue and all inquiries should be made to the PIC.
Experts raise security concerns
An aviation security expert, John Ojikutu, told Daily Sun that while selling the staff quarters may not currently pose a security threat, once sold to third parties, the properties fall outside Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) security regulations, violating ICAO Annex 17.3.2.4. He stressed that residents would no longer be subject to aviation security checks.
“The location of the staff quarters before may not have been a security risk, but if sold to the public, it becomes a security risk. If the properties on airport land are sold to the public, what would be the essence of the NCAA security approval in compliance with the ICAO Standards in Annex 17.3.2.4? Would those living there be subject to NCAA oversight on Aviation (Building Service Structure) security standards? ICAO has recently challenged us to put all these security risks in focus for the assessment of threats to our airports,” he said.
Roland Iyayi, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), also spoke on the issue. He argued that selling airport housing to staff, who may soon leave the civil service, forces essential personnel to live far away, hindering airport operations. He said the government policy on property acquisition failed to consider the peculiar needs of sectors like aviation.
“There is no sense in it. When you sell property meant to house essential staff to those who may leave the civil service soon, you undermine airport security and operations. People who should be close to the airport to ensure things run smoothly are now miles away, which creates serious issues, especially during emergencies,” he stated.
Solution
Iyayi suggested that FAAN could solve the housing problem by acquiring land in new development areas away from the airport, providing housing for their staff without compromising security and efficiency.
“FAAN management can approach state governments and request land in a new development area, acquire it, and encourage their staff to develop it. This way, before they retire, they would have acquired government-sanctioned property,” he said.