Airport concession will create free funds for government to address deficit in other areas — FG
By Tobi Adetunji
The Federal Government has revealed that the ongoing plan to concession Airport will avail the government the opportunity to address other infrastructural deficit.
This was conveyed to our correspondent on Thursday through a chat with the Spokesperson for Ministry of Aviation, Mr. James Odaudu.
In his words, “If you have been following the concession process, you’ll know that we’ve gone beyond these.
“The concession will free some funds for the government to address the deficit in other areas.”
Recall that on Wednesday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Awareness and Campaign hinted that “the ongoing concession process for the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt International Airports by the Federal Government will be completed in 2022.”
Earlier, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had in 2017 approved the concessioning of the Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano airports to increase their capacity and efficiency.
Also the Federal Government through the Ministry of Aviation had in June said it would concession the four airports for a period of 20-30 years, which may be “extended depending on performance and Nigeria’s best interests.”
The APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign said the programme is part of the Aviation Roadmap, launched by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in May 2016, with the aim of transforming the sector, in terms of safety, infrastructure and economic viability.
The group in a statement signed by Ismail Ahmed, acting National Youth Leader of the Party; Lanre Issa-Onilu, former APC National Publicity Secretary; Tolu Ogunlesi, Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media and Salihu Lukman, Director General Progressives Governors Forum, said the Aviation Industry is undergoing a revolution under the watch of President Buhari.
The APC voluntary think-tank group, highlighted the Aviation Roadmap to include the establishment of a National Carrier, development of Agro-Allied/Cargo Terminals, concessioning of the Major International Airports and establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Center.
Others are establishment of an Aviation Leasing Company, development of Aerotropolis (Airport Cities), establishment of an Aerospace University, designation of four International Airports as Special Economic Zones, upgrade of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).
“Since the launching of the Aviation Roadmap, the Ministry of Aviation has focused on implementation.
“In terms of infrastructure, the new Terminals of the Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano International Airports, inherited from the previous administration, have been completed, while the new Lagos Terminal is very close to completion. Brand new runways have been constructed at the Abuja and Enugu International Airports, in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
“More than a dozen airports around the country have had Low Level Winds hear Alert Systems (LLWAS) installed, to improve flight safety. Investigations revealed that the Sosoliso and ADC plane crashes of 2005 and 2006 respectively were caused by the absence of LLWAS in the airports.
“The Lagos and Abuja Airports have had the Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS) installed – which provides the capability for landing safely and accurately in conditions of near-zero visibility. Another 3 Nigerian Airports have been scheduled to benefit this year.
“A significant portion of the investment into the Aviation Sector has been focused on resolving issues and bridging gaps inherited from previous Administrations. One example is the payment of pensions owed to staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
“President Buhari approved that the backlog of almost twenty years be cleared, and has released funds to this effect,” APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign said.
