You're sponsoring falsehood against us – Air Peace accuses FAAN as dispute continues over N7m debt

The dispute between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Air Peace continued yesterday with the airline accusing FAAN of sponsoring falsehood aimed at tarnishing its corporate image.

Air Peace had alleged on Friday that the Manager of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Mr. Mgbemena Orjiako, grounded its operations over an alleged N7 million debt which it claimed had been paid.

But acting General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, told Daily Trust that the airline only paid N2m out of the N7m claim.

FAAN also claimed that the disruption of Air Peace operations in Enugu only lasted for 43 minutes and not two hours as the airline alleged.

However, in a statement by its Corporate Communication Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, Air Peace said it had sufficient evidence to prove that it did not owe FAAN. The airline also alleged that the authority had recruited some groups to make false allegations against it.

“The authority had claimed in a demand notice to us dated May 19, 2017, that we owed it a total of N7, 376, 990.94 comprising landing and parking charges of N6, 802, 071.47 and electricity bill of N574, 919.47.

“After reconciling our account with the authority, we made two separate payments. The first payment was a bank draft of N2, 839,570.14 made on May 25, 2017. We made another payment of N3 million in favour of FAAN on the Remita platform on May 31, 2017. The bank draft and Remita receipts were duly sent to FAAN, which acknowledged receipt of the documents. The latest claim by the authority that our payments were yet to reflect in its system is, therefore, a very poor but worrisome attempt to feed members of the public with absolute falsehood."