Players in the Nigerian aviation industry have charged the Federal Government to eschew controversies in its bid to concession some airports in the country by displaying transparency throughout its dealings.
The stakeholders also expressed regret about the hullabaloos that have trailed the concession of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), Lagos, AIC Ltd., Maevis Ltd., I-CUBE West Africa and other agreements, saying that these controversies have negatively affected the image of the country in the comity of nations.
The government was also advised to ensure that the planned concession of Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt in the first phase of the exercise should be a departure from the past experience by ensuring that the scheme drives regional competitive hubs as well as mega carriers that will operate in those hubs.
These were contained in a communiqué issued by the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) Webinar with the theme: ‘Nigerian Airports Concession: How Far, So Far?’
Participants at the over two hours webinar appealed to the Ministry of Aviation to ensure that the entire exercise was in compliance with the extant laws and due process to avoid post-agreement controversies and rancour as previously experienced in the sector.
Besides, participants enjoined the government to consider the totality of all the 22 airport terminals in its current concession plan.
Besides, the communiqué stated that it was necessary for the government to concession airport terminals in the country in order to reduce the financial burden on the Federal Government for airports infrastructure development management.
The communiqué added: “The session was informed of the recruitment of a Strategic Communication Consultant who is expected to disseminate important information on the concession process for the benefit of all stakeholders. Therefore, the government should define and clarify what is to be concessioned within the airport.
“All existing legal, labour, and other complications arising from previous experiments; Nigeria Airways, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc and others should be conclusively resolved. Therefore, there is need for government to allay the fears of the unions and employees of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with regards to the planned concession. The process must be fair and transparent.”
Participants, therefore, called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency resolve controversies raised by previous concessions or privatisations in the industry before putting pen to paper on new concession agreements in order not to discourage prospective investors.
The government was told to improve on MMA2 adopted strategy for development of other terminal infrastructure and services in the country.
Players also charged the government to protect users’ interest in the privatization of the facilities through the provision of innovative and quality services by service providers as well as leveraging private sector funds amenable to modern technologies to provide improved infrastructure comparable to global standards.
