By Dr Aliyu Ibrahim, MFR
What happens within the confines of a well-structured unit of socialization, known as the family in a civilized society, is also by extension re-enacted within the workplace.
The re-enactment of any well-defined behavior, outside of the family boundaries, such as the work-place is therefore anchored on the solid foundation of both primary and secondary socialization -processes, that define human behaviour in early, middle and late adulthood.
Similarly, having a good team within a work place like the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria {FAAN}, is like a man who has raised a team of well-behaved children, who are instinctually attuned to their individual and collective trained conditioned -behavioral processes, which define their reaction-processes within and outside their immediate physical environments as well as their responses to ethical, moral and professional stimulus or stimuli.
The above scenario, aptly offers a vivid picture of the newly rebranded management and Board of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria {FAAN}, headed by Mrs. Olubunmi O Kuku as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer as well as Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje OFR CON, as Chairman, Governing Board of FAAN.
For almost fourteen years, before the assumption of the current administration, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, {FAAN}, had no Governing Board.
A new Board emerged when His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, corrected the 14 year- anomaly by appointing the Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s led Governing Board as well as putting in-place, a management tact-team led by Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the agency.
Only few weeks ago on 17th November 2025, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, brought together aviation stakeholders, which included industry experts, investors and financiers at the Eko Hotel & Suites Events Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, where the 3rd FAAN National Aviation Conference, was held.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, PhD, started the opening lines of his speech thus, ” This two-day gathering, is initiated by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, as the 2025 3rd FAAN National Aviation Conference”.
He continued, ” it was designed to provide a forum where critical stakeholders would discuss vital issues, values, norms, policy directions, challenges as well as investment opportunities, as they affect the nation’s aviation ecosystem”.
The well researched address delivered by Dr. Ganduje, a 1976 PhD holder, at the just concluded 3rd FAAN National Aviation Conference, organized by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria {FAAN}, was as informative as it was educationally enthralling.
The topic, “Elevating the Nigerian Aviation Industry Through Investment Partnerships & Global Engagements”, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, explained, is not only apt but timely, considering Nigeria’s dear need for regional and international collaboration, development and global standards.
Impressed by the array of national, regional and international aviation experts, key players and allied stakeholders, who showed promise with their robust knowledge-base, expertise, competences and professionalism at the two-day action parked conference, Dr. Ganduje, used the instance of the outing to present a positively reinforcing democratic scorecard of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration in the aviation sub-sector of the Nigerian economy in the last 30 months.
He remarked, “His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has within a brief period 30 months of being in power, been able to set the tone for Nigeria’s aviation development. So far through the robust professional guidance of the Honourable Minister of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN as well as the Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria {FAAN}, no fewer than three International Airports, in Nigeria, had been given some face-lift attention. “
According to Abdullahi Umar Ganduje PhD, ” Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, as well as the Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, had undergone tremendous rehabilitation work, bringing them to acceptable international best standards, even as the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, is to have a second runway, he explained.
He informed the international audience that the new Governing Board of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, headed by his humble self, had already commenced nationwide oversight functions, across the Airports domiciled within the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria,
These official – fact finding visits, Dr. Ganduje, stated, ” would enable us to see for ourselves the ongoing reforms by the management of FAAN, just as the visit will equally, offer insights into the level of progress so far recorded and the challenges, that are being faced by the FAAN management”.
Explaining why the FAAN Governing Board, had to first undergo a fact-finding inspection tour of existing facilities at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, before the start of the conference, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said the move became necessary due to the fact the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is one that beliefs in establishing exactitude in terms of problem-solving and provision of solutions, in the area of development administration.
Dr. Ganduje said that having physically visited the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport as well as the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, respectively, ” the first-hand experience garnered during such visits, helped us in shaping the discussions, as issues, values and norms, affecting the aviation industry in Nigeria, were deliberated frankly and without any bias in a no- holds barred manner.
According to Ganduje, ensuring the strict implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda policy directives as they relate to aviation standards, safety, best practices, infrastructural development, positive customer service attitude, customer service relations and revenue generation across all our Airports, are key in Nigeria, having a vibrant and rebranded aviation ecosystem, that would be the pride of all Nigerians, Africans and the world at large.
He said, ” Let me reiterate the commitment of the Board and Management of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, towards delivering world class airport infrastructure, boosting operational efficiency, improving security architecture, safety in addition to enhancing passenger experience”.
In Dr. Ganduje’s wisdom, these human driven experiences can only be achieved through the needed collaboration and close relationship profiles with investors, regulators, operators, development partners and even innovators in the aviation sub-sector of the Nigerian economy.
The two conference which provided very experienced-filled and knowledge-based lasting impressions, did not come to a close without, having useful discussions on the concept of airport commercialization, aviation safety, light and bulk cargo development, revenue -optimization, connectivity, public – private partnership as well as multi-modern transport systems, which are all issues , critical to Nigeria’s national economy.
Commending his principal, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for providing the policy directives upon which the Nigerian Aviation sector, is now finding a new direction, under the leadership of Festus Keyamo SAN, the Hon Minister of Aviation Aerospace Development, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, Dr. Ganduje, revealed that between now and the 3rd year anniversary of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration, all the airports, in the six geo political zones, would wear looks, in terms of turn-around maintenance and international best practice.
There were no doubts about the fact that all conference participants contributed actively by re-examining all the existing programmes and policies within the aviation sector as these intellectual property input – processes, resonated in the quality of the conference outcome, via it’s communique.
As Abdullahi Umar Ganduje PhD, wrapped up his thoughts, conference participants whole heartedly agreed with him on strong determination demonstrated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in seeing the urgent revival of the aviation industry in Nigeria.
For instance, Dr. Umar Ganduje’s thoughts to the effect that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has within 30 months of assuming office, been able to turn in some milestone achievements, is encouraging.
Creating an enabling business environment for private airline operators to strive and excellently excel in their businesses, is not only commendable but a big plus for the All-Progressive Congress led Federal administration.
Worthy of note Abdullahi Umar Ganduje PhD stated is the fact that the Hon Minister of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN and the MD/CE of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku, had professionally and aggressively been driving the aviation reforms designed and announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
Like Dr. Umar Ganduje, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of FAAN, welcome the two-day conference by making clarion call for renowned world investors in the aviation industry to plough in their strategic clout, experience and experience-filled fiscal instruments to invest in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
In the words of Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, ” strategic partnerships, and renewed stakeholder collaboration, are urgently needed to elevate Nigeria’s aviation industry into a new era of growth”.
Describing the conference as historic and timely, Mrs. Kuku explained that ” that global aviation is experiencing unprecedented rebound and expansion”.
Mrs. Kuku said, “The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts global passenger traffic to hit a record 4.99 billion in 2025, while Airports Council International projects a surge of 9.7 billion passengers by 2040 – with Africa poised to drive much of the growth””.
Africa, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, emphasized, “”is the next frontier, and at the heart of this opportunity lies Nigeria.””
She continued, “These numbers are not just statistics; they are signals of billions of journeys, connections, and opportunities waiting to be unlocked.”
She highlighted ongoing Federal Government investments, noting that six airports and several runways are currently undergoing government-funded modernization.
Like Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje PhD, Chairman of the Governing Board of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku, as the MD/CE of FAAN , used the instance of the conference to thank President Tinubu for what she described as a “decisive commitment” to the sector’s growth, adding that in the past two years alone, FAAN’s Accredited training school has trained 7,320 aviation personnel, reflecting a major boost in technical capacity and workforce readiness.
She further informed the esteemed audience that the agency had also strengthened its international collaborations, including a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding with ATOM Aviation Training Services in Dubai, designed to enhance global best practices across Nigeria’s airport operations.
These she explained, had resulted in the improvement of service quality, which had been scaled up further, through the Culture Change programme, which is a psycho-social tool that had ushered behaviour- modification within the FAAN workplace, reshaping the work ethics of no fewer than 4,000 employees, fostering a more professional and customer-focused workforce.
As FAAN concluded the 2025 two-day national aviation conference, stakeholders, showed optimism that based on the positive reforms so far introduced by Presidential Renewed Hope Agenda Policy Directives on aviation, Nigeria, will in the very near future, become the leading aviation hub in the West and Central sub-Saharan Africa.
The writer of this news – feature piece, Dr Aliyu Ibrahim, MFR, a Political Scientist, Media Executive and Public Affairs Commentator, is the National Convener, NATIONAL AGENDA FOR TINUBU 2027 { NAFT.27 }