Keyamo Promises Transparent Airport Concession, Tours Lagos Int’l Airport

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barrister Festus Keyamo, has said that the plan by the federal government to concession the five international airports was still on course, promising that the process will be as transparent as possible.

Keyamo said this on Friday while on a tour of the facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

While commending the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for the improvement in the facility touching all segments of the airport, he reiterated that the uplift of the facilities was not the big plan but Public Private Partnership (PPP). “Well, like I said, I want to reiterate that this is not our big plan for the airport,” he stressed.

His words: “The big plan for the airport, especially the five international airports, is still to concession them the best entities in the world. We are looking for the best partners in the world to come and collaborate with us in turning the airport around and running them professionally. And all will be to the benefit, ultimate benefit of Nigerians.

So what you see there, what we have just come to do here, is to ensure that in the short term, in the interim, that the customers and the traveling public will have a wonderful experience. And in doing all of these small touches here and there, you can see that the new management has taken care of issues like even disability, those traveling with disabilities. They were not there before the lifts are working now.

“Even the new toilets too, you can see the toilets, particular units of those toilets that are also for the disabled. So they are also thinking along those lines. And also for nursing mothers, you saw the units for nursing mothers.

“So all segments of the travelling public; all types of the travelling public have been taken care of by this initiative that we are undertaking here. So we are pushing for this. This will not stop our concession plan. It will not.”

The Minister pointed out that the concession process started by the previous administration was halted due to complaints and litigations.

However, he said under the current government of President Bola Tinubu, the concession is going to be as transparent as possible, adding that the President has given his Ministry marching orders to go and look for the best bid, the best hand to come and turn around the airports.

Keyamo therefore announced that “we are going public very soon and it is going to be the best. I spoke to Mr. President about it. Mr. President said, Minister, go for the best.

“Nobody is interested in whoever is coming to do it. The process that was done before we came into office; we halted that process because there were complaints. I am sure you know that.

“There were lawsuits. People went to court. It was not transparent enough. But under this government, under Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, it is going to be as transparent as possible.”

“The President gave us marching orders. Go and do it as transparently as possible. Look for the best bid, the best hand to come and turn around our efforts and run our airports. And that is where we are going ultimately,” he added.