Court Gives FAAN Three Months to Account for Airports’ Toll Gate Revenue Since 2015

Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala of the Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to account for revenue made from toll gates and parking lots fees in all federal government-owned airports across the country and how much it remitted from January 2015 till January 2024.

The court held that the refusal and failure of the respondent (FAAN), to accede to the applicant's freedom of information requests dated August 24, 2021; October 6, 2021, and April 22, 2022, seeking to know the total annual generated revenue from the toll gates and parking lots in each of the federal government- owned airports across the country since 2015 till date was a gross violation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

Consequently, the court compelled FAAN (the sole Respondent) to provide details of the revenue to a public interest applicant, the Registered Trustees of the Centre for Law & Civil Culture.

The judge gave the federal agency three months to comply with the order.

The applicant filed the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1086/2022 following the Respondent’s failure to accede to its Freedom Of Information request of August 24, 2022, saying this violated the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.

B.O. Fowowe represented the Applicant while A.A. Lawal represented the Respondent.

Following the conclusion of hearing on January 25, 2024, with both parties adopting their written addresses, the court adjourned for judgment.

At the resumption of proceedings yesterday, the judge granted the Applicant’s prayer, noting that it had satisfied all the conditions stipulated in Section 20 of the FOI Act.