Suspend Airports Concession Plan, Reps Tell FG

House of Representatives on Monday demanded that the Federal Government should put a pause to concession airports until all issues have been addressed.

Four international airports which include Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt airports have been billed for a concession to private operators.

The House Committee on Aviation, which berated Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, for failing to appear before it in Abuja, said it had been receiving petitions against the move.

Chairman of the committee, Nnolim Nnaji, said, “Among the concerns were the lack of transparency in the exercise, labour issues, the Chinese loans, the legal issues that may arise from the existing concessions and the lack of proper valuation of the present status of the affected airports, among others.

“Based on the outcome of the meeting with the labour unions, the committee invited the Minister of Aviation and the heads of agencies under him to discuss the issue of the airports’ concession. Several dates were fixed for the meeting but for one reason or the other, they failed to attend.

“In view of this, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation hereby requests that the concession of the four airports should be put on hold pending the resolution of the contentious issues raised by the unions and other stakeholders to avoid industrial actions that may further cripple the already distressed industry.”