BY Sade Williams/Business a.m.
Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s aviation minister, took a number of aviation sector labour leaders to airports in Istanbul Turkey, and Brassilia, Brazil as part of measures aimed at demonstrating transparency, inclusiveness, sincerity in the airport concession programme being midwifed by his ministry.
The plan is also to enable what is said to be choosing the right model. But apart from the labour leaders, the team on the visits included officials of the ministry and agencies who went on an inspection tour of two successfully concessioned airports.
The team included Alkali Modibbo, rector, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria; Matthew Lawrence Pwajok, acting managing director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA); Abba Ibrahim, transaction adviser on airport concession; and Michael Ohiani, director general, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.
Others on the inspection visits were Yusuf Anas, senior technical assistant to the minister; Ahmed Sanusi, special assistant to the minister on administration; Saidu Abdulrazak, secretary general, Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP); Ocheme Abah, secretary general, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE); and Adenike Adesola (CSS).
Sirika said the essence of the visit to the two airports was to dispel all doubts and suspicions 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 inception, will remain till the final delivery of the project.
At the two airports, the team was presented with visual stories of their transition and positive impact of their concessions.
