COVID-19: After Yari, FAAN Calls Out Governor Who Refused Sanitisers, Temperature Check At Airport

 

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has called out the Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, for refusing to observe the airport security and public health protocols as directed by the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 by refusing to have his temperature checked and rejecting the hand sanitizer health officials gave him.

The airport authority, in a post on its Twitter handle late Wednesday, said Fintiri arrived Port Harcourt International Airport aboard aircraft 5N-IZY, at 17:08 hrs on 14th July 2020 with eight people in his entourage who also towed his line of defiance to the protocols.

1. The Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) hereby strongly condemns the conduct of the Governor of Adamawa state Alh Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who arrived Port Harcourt international Airport aboard aircraft 5N-IZY, at 17:08 hrs on 14th July 2020

— Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (@FAAN_Official) July 16, 2020

Fintiri’s team was also reported to have driven right through the barricades up to the terminal building ignoring traffic and aviation security instructions when they came to receive him.

FAAN said the governor’s action is unacceptable, and as such it has also been duly escalated.

“We strongly condemn the conduct of the Governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who arrived Port Harcourt international Airport aboard aircraft 5N-IZY, at 17:08 hrs on 14th July 2020 with 8 others, and who flagrantly refused to observe the Airport Security and Public Health protocols as directed by the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID19 by refusing to have his temperature checked, or being sanitised by the health officials.

“His whole entourage of eight did exactly as he did. The team that came to receive them drove right through the barricades up to the terminal building ignoring traffic and Aviation Security instructions.

“This irresponsible act endangers all other airport users, it is unacceptable, and as such it has also been duly escalated. FAAN hereby cautions all airport users, especially our esteemed VIPs , to please respect the Presidential directive by observing airport security and public health travel protocols put in place to protect all air travellers against acts of unlawful interference, infection and the spread of the covid-19 pandemic,” the agency said.

Fintiri is the second high profile person that has been accused by the agency of flouting guidelines this week.

Earlier, FAAN accused the immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari for violating public health procedures on travels at the Aminu Kano International Airport on Saturday 11th July 2020.

The agency said Yari refused to adhere to the protocols and procedures put in place by the Federal Government through the PTF on COVID19 by forcefully pushing away an officer of the Environment department when he insisted that his luggage must be disinfected.

The former Governor reportedly refused that his luggage will be disinfected, saying that the airport officer should have known he is a VIP.

Yari has however denied breaching COVID-19 protocol at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, and demanded that FAAN should retract its offensive tweets regarding the incidence and tender an apology for the falsehood peddled against him.

The ex-Governor, in a statement by his media consultant, Mayowa Oluwabiyi, said although he did use the airport on the said date, such incidence never occurred.

According to him “The attention of H.E Abdulaziz Yari, the former Governor of Zamfara State has been drawn to a tweet posted on Wednesday, 15th July, 2020 on the official Twitter account of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that alleges that the ex-governor assaulted an airport official on Saturday 11th July, 2020 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.

“We wish to state categorically that H.E Abdulaziz Yari did pass through the MAKIA on the said day, but did not assault any airport official. He also followed all the COVID-19 preventive protocols set by FAAN.

“The incident cited in the tweet simply never happened.

“H.E Abdulaziz Yari finds the tweet odious and distasteful, he therefore demands that FAAN retract the offensive tweet and tender an immediate public apology to him for the falsehood published about his person.”