Yemi Osinbajo, vice president of Nigeria, yesterday announced that the Federal Executive Council has agreed to the concession of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
In a Twitter post via @NGRPresident, Osinbajo, speaking at the fifth edition of the presidential quarterly business forum held at the State House, Abuja said, “I am pleased to say that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the concessioning of the Lagos and Abuja airports,”
Dele Ore, a former President of the Aviation Round Table (ART), has commended the resolve of the Federal Government to concession airports in the country despite opposition from aviation unions.
Ore said that the recent appointment of transaction advisers for the concession of the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt airports was a step in the right direction.
He said, “I am of the opinion that government has no business in doing business. The best option for the country is for these airports to be given to investors to enable optimal operation.
“Also, in the order of priority, there are a lot of things the government wants to spend money on, such as health care, education, power and roads.
Chris Aligbe, industry consultant and the CEO of BelujaneKonsult, said that the only solution to airport infrastructural deficiencies is concession, adding that transparent concession of these airports would permanently solve the problem of obsolete and porous airports.
“The solution of poor airport facilities is concession, but there should be efforts to ensure that every staff of FAAN is carried along. The unions are major stakeholders. The concession programme should be put in the open ,so that the country will get the best of it.
Commenting on government’s decision to concession the airports, Osinbajo said, “First, we want to do a general overhaul. Second, we want to concession all the airports
In 2016, the Federal Government had indicated interest in concessioning the Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano airports to increase their capacity and efficiency.
Labour unions in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had expressed reservations in the process, vowing to stop the planned concession of the airports.
The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had assured that the process of concessioning the airports would be transparent.
Already two committees, project steering committee and project delivery committee, for the concessioning process have been inaugurated.
IFEOMA OKEKE
