By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. Festus Keyamo, SAN, on Monday April 21, 2025, insisted that ,no time-frame has been agreed for the concession of Airports in the Country, including the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu.
He described as false and totally misleading, reports suggesting a lengthy concession period for the Enugu Airport.
Reports have been rife in both the online and traditional media platforms, that the Enugu Airport has been concessioned for as long as 80 years.
As would be expected, the speculated development instantly drew the ire of not a few industry operators who described the planned concession as both ridiculous and strange to global templates
Most of the criticisms centred on the clear absence of a required careful planning, robust contractual agreements, and effective regulatory frameworks for all the parties concerned.
According to the critics, no concession globally should exceed a period of between 30 and 40 years, noting that the 80 years arrangements for the Enugu airport remains strange to international best practices.
But a statement on Monday, from Tunde Moshood, spokesperson for the Minister of Aviation, noted that while it is true that there are plans to concession five major airports in the country, including the Enugu airport, the duration of such an exercise has not been determined.
“Our attention has been drawn to certain online reports suggesting that a certain lengthy period of concession has been agreed upon regarding the Enugu International Airport. These reports are baseless and untrue.
“While 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.
“Many of our airports are presently running at a loss, so they have to be subsidized 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 the FEC for approval.
“We can confirm that this review has not been concluded. However, for the sake of transparency, the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, directed some months ago that the Aviation Labour Unions be included as part of the negotiating teams”, part of the statement reads.
The Source reports that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport was last week closed to traffic to facilitate the maintenance job on the runway.
Keyamo, while announcing the closure, expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of job done on the runway by those that previously worked on it.
The Airport is expected to close for, at least, two weeks.
Discover more from The Source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
