The final phase of the plan to concession the terminals of the country’s four major international airports has begun. The Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja, the Port Harcourt and the Mallam Aminu International Airport, Kaduna are affected by the new policy.
Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika promised that “no job will be lost”, to the concession arrangement. He also assured that there would be full negotiation with workers before the full implementation of the programme.
But unions in the aviation sector described the arrangement as “unrealistic”. They faulted the model being adopted. A document released by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Hassan Musa, in compliance with the conditions set by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and National Policy on Public-Private Partnership made available the guidelines.
It said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) through the Ministry of Aviation is inviting bids from reputable Airport Developers/Operators/Financiers/Consortia for prequalification for the Concession of selected Airports Terminals under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement”.
“The airport’s terminal concession is one of the critical projects under the Aviation Sector Roadmap of the FGN and fits well within the scope of the Ministry’s strategic plan for the sector. The execution of this project is meant to achieve the Federal Government’s objective in terms of air transport value chain growth by developing and profitably managing customer-centric airport facilities for safe, secure and efficient carriage of passengers and goods at world-class standards of quality”.
The eligibility requirements include: “Full names of firm/consortia; Evidence of Company Registration; Ownership structure of bidding entity; Audited Financial Statements; Sworn affidavit; Power of Attorney/Board Resolution and in the case of a consortium, evidence in the form of a letter of association agreement”.
