Federal airports may pay communities noise levy
The deafening hum of planes taking off and landing over communities near airports may attract some compensation at last.
A bill before the House of Representatives seeks to commit the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to make up for the environmental hazards of its operations on neighbouring communities by
providing medical assistance to patients of heart diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases or any other noise or air pollution related disease who are proven to be inhabitants of the communities around airport.
Other duties for the authority proposed in the blll are to :
*Conduct, assist, and foster researches, investigation, experiment and studies relating to the welfare of inhabitants of the communities along airport axis with a view to generating accurate data of terminally ill patients in the communities to carry out comprehensive studies of effect of carbon monoxide on them.
- Provide the communities around airport standard clinics with current, advanced and latest technological diagnostic equipment;
- Set aside a specific quota when recruiting staff to the airport for the communities around the Nigerian airports or where the air operation is being carried out and
- Ensure that each commercial airliner at the Nigeria airports carries out one meaningful substantial Corporate Social Responsibility project in any of the communities around airport.
The bill, proposed by Rep Ganiyu Johnson (Oshodi/Isolo II)however requires the amendment of the Federal Airport Authority Act.
