The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has stated that the issue of passenger extortion by government agencies at the nation’s airports is beyond his ministry’s control.
This was disclosed in a post by Keyamo via his official X account on Sunday.
However, Keyamo stated that the aviation ministry is working with other ministries in charge of the affected organizations to find a long-term solution to the problem.
This follows multiple accusations from travelers alleging extortion by airport officials.
“I have received several complaints about the menace of begging and extortion at our International airports by a few unscrupulous persons who give all of us a bad image,” Keyamo posted.
He added, “My phones are beeping every minute with messages about this from well-meaning Nigerians. Just to set the records straight, most of the agencies involved in this menace are not under the control of the aviation ministry, though they are stationed at our airports.
“However, I have been working closely with other ministers, arms of government and agencies who are responsible for these agencies and a solution is in sight soon.”
He stated that the ministry was working with the National Security Adviser on the matter, and that he would shortly announce measures to “stem this ugly tide.”
The Federal Government has recently expressed serious concern about the problem of begging and extortion at the country’s airports.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had on June 8 warned airport passengers not to offer bribes or encourage extortion.
The agency noted that any personnel or government agency working at the airports discovered to have accepted bribes would be punished.
The agency also announced the formation of a task force to combat touting, extortion, and other illegal activity at the nation’s airports.
