Minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed plans by the federal government to concession the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
He, however, said no concessionaire had been selected.
The minister, in a statement by Tunde Moshood, his special adviser on media and communications, Keyamo said reports claiming a fixed concession period had been agreed upon are false and misleading.
According to him, the ministry is still evaluating proposals from prospective concessionaires and has not determined any fixed duration for the airport’s concession.
“Our attention has been drawn to certain online report/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 is considering proposals for the concession of five major airports, this is a proactive measure to ensure these vital facilities can meet and maintain international standards, given the increasing financial demands of their operations,” the statement reads.
Continuing, he noted that “Many of our airports are presently running at a loss, so they have to be subsidised each month by the Federal Government. It is noteworthy that this initiative to concession started from previous administrations.
“At this stage, prospective concessionaires have indeed submitted various proposals, including different durations for the concession. It is important to emphasize 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.”
The minister had instructed several months ago that aviation labour unions be included in the negotiation teams for the sake of transparency.
Moshood added that any information suggesting a predetermined concession duration is “false, unfounded, and intended to cause unwarranted disaffection and mistrust in the process”.
“Please be assured that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development is committed to a transparent process that adheres strictly to due process,” he said.
“With his training and track record, the Minister will not allow anything untoward to happen under his watch. He has so far run the Ministry in a transparent manner and will not fall into the same mistake of the past.”
He assured that all decisions will be made in the best interest of the nation and the aviation sector.
On April 19, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) announced the temporary closure of the Enugu airport.
The authority said the shutdown, which takes effect from April 22 to May 6, became necessary following the discovery of a sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway.
