Labour Leaders, Minister, on Overseas Tour to Choose Right Model for Airport Concession

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Left, Comrade Abdul Razaq Saidu, Secretary-General, ANAP, Comrade Adenike Adesola, Sec Gen, CSS, middle, Aviation Minister, Sen Hadi Sirika, extreme right, Comrade Abah Ocheme, Secretary-General, NUATE, on a tour of Turkey and Brasilia Airports

As part of efforts to ensure transparency, inclusiveness, and demonstrate sincerity in the Airport concession program with the view to choosing the right model, Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika has led a team comprising officials of the Ministry, agencies and organized labour in the aviation industry on an excursion to two successfully concessioned airports.

A media statement by James Odaudu, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Affairs, the team that visited the Istanbul Airport in Turkey and the Brasilia Airport in Brazil with the Minister included the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria, Captain Alkali Modibbo, the Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Matthew Lawrence Pwajok, the Transaction Adviser on Airport Concession, Dr Abba Ibrahim and the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Michael Ohiani.

Others are the Senior Technical Assistant to the Minister, Yusuf Anas, Special Assistant to the Minister on Administration, Ahmed Sanusi, Secretary-General of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Saidu Abdulrazak, Secretary-General of NUATE, Ocheme Abah, and Adenike Adesola (CSS).

L-R: Comrade Francis Akinjole, Asst Sec Gen, ATSSSAN, Comrade Abah Ocheme, Sec Gen, NUATE, Comrade Abdul Razaq Saidu, Sec. Gen, ANAP, at one of the numerous media briefings expressed a lack of transparency in the airport concession process

Quoting the Aviation Minister, the statement said the essence of the visit to the two airports was to dispel all doubts and suspicion regarding the sincerity of the Federal Government in respect of the concession programme and to reassure the Labour force of the inherent benefits of the programme.

He further said that the choice of the two airports was based on their popularity, size and their success stories in concession which he said, will serve as a guide on the concession model and contribute to the successful delivery of the programme.

He reiterated the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the principles of transparency and accountability which have been the hallmark of the process from the inception will remain till the final delivery of the project.