Mohammed Shosanya
The Minister of Aviation, Festus Kayemo,has mandated all Very Important Personalities VIPs in Nigeria to pay the tollgate fees on their entry to airports in the country.
He explained that the act was to block revenue leakages in the aviation value chain, where millions of naira are lost from public officials traveling through the airports.
It was deliberated upon at the Federal Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, where President Bola Tinubu and the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima agreed to be included in the payment plan.
All cabinet members who deliberated on the issue approved that there should be no more exemption granted to users of the airports from paying tollgate fees.
The approval was made following a memorandum presented to the council by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, who argued that the government was losing over 82 percent of the revenue it should have earned from the e-tags that provide access to the toll gates.
Keyamo explained that the memoranda had initially prescribed an exemption for only the president and the vice president before Tinubu overruled and directed that both of them should be included among those that must pay.
He regretted that Very Important Persons (VIPs) with money who should pay are those that have not been paying, noting that only poor people had been charged for using the toll gates.
He frowned at the development where uniform officers harass staff of government at the airport, assuring that cameras would be mounted in strategic positions to capture those officers in such habit.
On his alleged interference in the aviation activities especially as it concerns the closure of Dana airline, Keyamo said any airline operator that shows substantial signs of danger, he will continue to interfere to save lives until he leaves office.
Keyamo also told regulators in the aviation sector to get ready for rough rides, adding, “”I will breath down on the regulators. I must direct them to do what the law says diligently. I will ensure that they don’t waterdown the regulatory measures”.
Meanwhile,FEC has approved the establishment of a tripartite committee to streamline visa processes and acquisition for persons interested in investing in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this while briefing journalists.
He said: “Our visa processes are becoming cumbersome…The ease of doing business is also tied to our visa processes.Going forward, those investors, tourists will find it easy to acquire a visa within the next 48 hours”.
