By Lawani Mukairu & Daniel Eteghe

LAGOS—The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, yesterday, said that it was not indebted to the Ikeja Distribution Company, IKEDC, for power supply to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

General Manager, Corporate Communications , FAAN, Mr Yakubu Dati, who disclosed this, said the airport authority has continued to carry out its obligation to the power distribution company to enable it serve its teeming clients at the airport, which require power supply for seamless passenger, cargo and other operations.

He said information making the round that the power company was planning to cut supply of electricity to the airport was part of the blackmail plot by some debtors, who were reluctant to pay what they owe the authority.

Dati also urged users of the airport and other stakeholders to discountenance any information suggesting that there would be power outage at the Lagos Airport on account of the alleged debts.

He said: ”There is no planned black out at the airport . FAAN is not owing Ikeja Distribution Company. People who are spreading such rumour of black out at the airport are embarking on cheap blackmail. They are going under the radar to pull FAAN down.

“As service providers , we pay for the services rendered to us by the power company. This blackmail is coming from debtor contractors , who want to distract FAAN.”

Meanwhile, FAAN has reiterated its call on debtors to pay up what they owe the authority or else their names would be published in the newspapers. Dati added that some of the debtors have started reaching out to the debt recovery unit of FAAN for reconciliation of what they owe.

Last week, Dati said “ FAAN wishes to notify all its debtors, including airlines, concessionaires and other service providers, at all Nigerian airports, that the Authority will soon publish a list of such debtors in major Nigerian newspapers as a prelude to other measures designed to help the Authority recover all its outstanding debts.

“All affected customers of the Authority are hereby advised to approach the Authority’s Debt Recovery Department at its headquarters or Airport Managers across the country with relevant documents for reconciliation of accounts with the Authority.

“The Authority is constrained to take this measure because the level of indebtedness to the Authority may soon begin to take a toll on its services which should not be allowed to happen, in the overall interest of safety and security at airports.”