As the minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika continues to convince Nigerians on the need to support the planned concession of four international airports across the country; the minister has assured no sub-national government will be allowed to participate in the airports concession.
Speaking at a virtual stakeholders’ meeting held to give an update on the concession efforts, Sirika revealed that through the exercise of the Federal government was open to all qualified entities, no sub-national government will be allowed to participate in it.
Defending why states will not be allowed to participate in the concession, Sirika attributed this to the fact that since government was trying to remove the airports from the national government to private entities, it will make no economic sense handing over such airports to a sub-national government.
“What I can say emphatically, is that no state government will be allowed to participate to get this concession because the argument is, we are taking this concession from Federal Government to private sector, we cannot give from one government to another government, in fact to a lesser government which is a sub national, this will not happen but any private sector any private entity with proven record that is able to demonstrate will be allowed to participate and the best will emerge.”
The four affected airports are: Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The Minister who while reacting to questions from presentations at the virtual conference used the opportunity to again reassure that there will be no job loss as by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) statistics, Nigeria still lacked adequate aviation personnel revealing that many workers will subsequently be redeployed as government has taken responsibility for other state-owned airports.
“Unions fear for jobs but I keep saying they will not lose their jobs because number one: we currently by the findings of ICAO, we are understaffed in so many areas and we need to recruit people so we need all hands to manage our airports.
“Second: we have now increased the number of airports within our care, we are taking over Gombe, Bauchi, Dutse, Kebbi, Osubi and many other airports and we need helping hands, we need new people to manage the airports that being the case we look at what is the staff strength and how do we employ more people.”
Reacting to a question posed as whether the organised private sector in places like Kano can participate in the process, Sirika said it was quite possible if the organisation had the technical capacity, foundational capacity as well as the experience and expertise as will be proven during the process.
”This process (Concession) is for anyone that has the capacity, the technical capacity, the foundational capacity, the experience, the wherewithal and is interested to participate. So whether you are organised private sector or a private entity you are free to participate so long as you can prove within the process that you can give us value for our money you can participate in the process you will be allowed.
“It is going to be transparently done, this is the beginning of the process and we are in the planning, so now we are beginning the steps that would lead to the concession and it would be on our website, it would be on the website of ICRC so they can begin to organise themselves now either as a group or as an entity to participate in the process and you’d be certainly allowed to do so,” he said
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