Obagah Izuagie
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has described reports in some sections of the media about the alleged concessioning of Enugu airport for 80 years as utterly baseless and untrue.
The minister in a statement issued Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood said while prospective concessionaires have indeed submitted various proposals, including different durations for the concession, the ministry has not established any fixed duration.
He explained that all submitted proposals are currently undergoing thorough evaluation that will eventually be reviewed by the ICRC before it is presented to the Minister for conveyance to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.
The minister noted that the review process has not been confirmed.
Keyamo said: “Our attention has been drawn to certain online reports/stories suggesting that a certain lengthy period of concession has been agreed upon regarding the Enugu International Airport. These reports/stories are utterly baseless and untrue.
“Whilst it is true that the federal government was considering proposals for the concession of five major airports to ensure these vital facilities can meet and maintain international standards, given the increasing financial demands of their operations.
He, however, added that many of the country’s airports are presently running at a loss, so they have to be subsidised each month by the federal government.
The minister noted: “At this stage, prospective concessionaires have indeed submitted various proposals, including different durations for the concession.
“It is important to emphasise that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has not established any fixed duration.
“All submitted proposals are currently undergoing thorough evaluation that will eventually be reviewed by the ICRC before it is presented to the Minister for conveyance to FEC for approval. We can confirm that this review process has not been concluded.”
Keyamo pointed out that for the sake of transparency, he directed that the Aviation Labour Unions be included as part of the negotiating teams.
“Therefore, we must state unequivocally that the information suggesting a predetermined concession duration is false, unfounded, and intended to cause unwarranted disaffection and mistrust in this process by those with entrenched interests,” Keyamo emphasised.