The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has verbally terminated the contract of Milinda Francis & Company Ltd., after about 26 years of service.
Mr Daniel Twon, the Company’s Manager, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ikeja, saying that no reason was given for the termination of the contract by FAAN management.
NAN reports that the company, with 42 members of staff, is one of the firms employed on contract by FAAN to clean the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal 1 (MMADT1).
MMADT1 is also known as the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).
Twon said that Mr Dennis Okogwu, the Assistant General Manager (Operations) of FAAN, conveyed the news of the contract termination to the company late on Monday.
“No reason was given for the termination of the contract; he only said that the order was from Abuja.
“Okogwu ordered out all our staff cleaning the airport and threatened that he was going to bring security men to arrest us if he found us around the terminal,” Twon said.
He said that FAAN had not levied any accusation of non-performance against the company.
“FAAN had been paying us the contract sums on monthly basis, up till last October, with only those for November and December outstanding”.
“We think that if FAAN does not need our services again, its management should have discussed with us or in the alternative, informed us of its decision formally”.
He added that when the management of the company asked Mr Tunde Oginni, the GAT Terminal Manager, whether he was aware of the development, he said he was not aware of it.
Mr Israel Ugbogwu, another staff of the company, said that before the remodelling of the terminal, FAAN was paying the company N300,000 per month as contract sum for services provided.
“After the remodelling, the terminal is now six times more than its initial size. FAAN promised to increase the contract sum, but nothing has been done.
“Despite that, our company has continued to service the terminal with funds sourced elsewhere. We are appealing to the management of FAAN to tell us formally why it has dispensed with our services,” Ugbogwu said.
When NAN contacted Mr Yakubu Dati, the General Manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN, on his mobile line, he denied knowledge of the development.
“I am not aware of this development, but I will find out and get back to you on my findings,” Dati said.
