FAAN boss applauded for promoting knowledge acquisition
BY CHUKWUEMEKE IWELUNMO
The Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu has been applauded for promoting knowledge acquisition by staff to enhance their productivity.
General Manager, Customer Service, FAAN, Mrs. Ebele Okoye who gave the commendation at the passing out parade for the Supernumerary police officers course one, 2020 at the Ikeja Police College Lagos also said the passion of the FAAN boss to ensure the safety, security and comfort of Airport users can been seen in the efforts so far made in the upgrade of airports facilities across the country.
She said apart from the facilities, the agency had never toiled with staff training to ensure quality service delivery at the airports.
Mrs. Okoye who participated and decorated as one of the 65 Spy police officers said knowledge acquisition had always been her passion and with the help of the FAAN MD who gave her the permission to embark on the training, she would bring to bear the knowledge gained to uplift the agency.
“Am so happy even for the Managing Director that approved my coming to this place when I showed him my paper to approved, he said ooh madam you want to know everything and I said Yes, knowledge is power, he signed for me to be part of this and am ever grateful to him and I thank for all my staff, they have been so wonderful, they gave me all the cooperation. On weekends I say, we are not working this weekend please allow me to do my studies and do other programmes and they have so wonderful.”
The Customer Service GM FAAN promised to equip the department staff on how to handle passengers or anyone trying to harass them or obstruct them from performing their statutory duties at the airports, adding that with the right attitude problems could be averted.
Okoye explained that there were laws guiding FAAN and with the knowledge acquired, nobody can come to the airport and begin to harass and assault people, stressing that there were rules and regulations that the travelling public were expected to adhere to.
“Anytime I have information or knowledge that is trending, I put my officers together we are going to be holding MSU meetings that is Management Meeting of the department, we are also going to be doing Zoom meetings where every officer both junior and senior would be able to understand what we have learnt and am going to take the topic especially on legal and professional teaching them what the police of Nigeria is all about and they can move around freely in this country without harassment and para-venture there us any harassment, i need to tell them it is not by returning back, it is by knowing what the law is ensuring that you are working with the law.”
“Yes it is expected some of them by the time they get part of this knowledge attitude will change, they will begin to recognize the rights of individual before this time they know their job, like I said knowledge is power, the knowledge is also going to help them know how to appeal to people even when they are being provoked they will know how to deal with the people.”
She stressed that human rights was very important stressing that the policing of the past did not take care of human rights. “Parts of the things we learnt here there are about 12 human rights position in the Constitution, we learnt them and it is something that we have the right to live, you have the right of personal liberty an nobody therefore nobody has the right to come and harass you so with this knowledge, it is going to help me do my job better”.
“At any point in time you have knowledge in different spheres of life it empowers you to do more, am somebody that wants to learn. The spy police is an assignment I remember is not a paid police person, it is for people who have achieved one or two things in life and they want to contribute to the growth of the policing in Nigeria am happy to be one of them today but more importantly, it was a stressful programme”.
The FAAN customer service boss said with the achievements and the knowledge she would be able to pilot the customer service at the airport authority better adding that the college had taught her about the law, “if you don’t know the law people can mess you up, you know your limit, you know what you are supposed to do when to arrest and when not to arrest then from there we also got into what we call liberal act”.
In his address, the Commandant of the college, Oladupo Ajani urged the newly decorated Spy officers to be law-abiding and be disciplined, adding that any officer can be disciplined by the Nigeria Police if they were found wanting.
He emphasized that as officers, they have privileges of the police but exercised within a certain limit.
The MD FAAN was represented at the event by the AGM Mrs. Zuwaira Yahaya-Joe. Other staff of the Customer Service Department were also present to celebrate with Mrs. Okoye.
Highlights of the event was Commissioner salute and match past by the newly decorated officers.
