The Director of Special Duties at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Henry Agbebire, has lauded the Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, for her exceptional leadership in championing FAAN’s Culture Transformation Agenda, describing it as a bold and effective step that is already yielding measurable results across the organisation.

Speaking during  the fourth edition of the MD’s Quarterly Award for Excellence, the first in 2025, Mr. Agbebire praised Mrs.Kuku for institutionalising a culture of recognition and reward as a core strategy to inspire high performance and service excellence.

Since the launch of the Culture Transformation Agenda in 2024 under the current leadership, FAAN has witnessed a remarkable shift in staff attitude, improved interdepartmental collaboration, and more responsive customer service delivery, especially at the frontline in major airports.

“ _We are seeing the fruits of this transformation in real time,” Mr. Agbebire stated. “There’s increased professionalism among our staff, heightened commitment to duty, and a clear alignment with the values we want to project. The difference is tangible in our terminals, in our teams, and in the feedback from stakeholders.”_

The Directorate of Special Duties has driven the project through several impactful initiatives, including the MD’s Quarterly Award for Excellence, now in its fourth edition, celebrating staff who exemplify FAAN’s values and go above and beyond in their roles.

“The FAAN Acculturation Programme, which has helped new and existing staff internalise the expectations of excellence and service culture, the Skyward Shift bulletin, a bi-monthly culture digest that reinforces key behavioural shifts and recognises cultural champions across departments.”

“ Culture Creed, now embedded into staff engagements and displayed across FAAN locations as a daily reminder of the agency’s ethos.”

According to Mr. Agbebire, feedback from stakeholders, including airlines, passengers, regulatory bodies, and concessionaires, has increasingly acknowledged the shift in FAAN’s service orientation.

Instances of improved responsiveness, cleaner terminals, more courteous engagement, and timely issue resolution have all been linked to the culture transformation push.

For 2025, the MD has directed that the campaign be intensified and extended to all 22 FAAN airports. A structured rollout has been scheduled from June to November 2025, ensuring that all employees receive direct engagement through acculturation workshops, town halls, and value reinforcement sessions.

“ _The MD is not just changing policies, she’s changing mindsets,” Agbebire added. “And this is what will ultimately reposition FAAN as a leading force in the global aviation space.”_

The culture transformation project, the first of its kind at FAAN, has not only become a unifying thread within the organisation but also a key enabler of its strategic goals.

It is helping to unlock potential at every level, energise teams, and position FAAN as a benchmark for airport excellence in Africa.