The federal government would this month invite qualified local and international firms for the concession of four airports, Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has said.
The minister also disclosed that the actual negotiation would be done in February 2022 when concessionaires would have been selected and approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The airports are the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Malam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano and Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.
He spoke in Lagos on Thursday in his presentation on Roadmap to Concession at the just concluded Airport Business Summit and Expo.
The Minister said the concession of the airports had not been achieved in the last six years of the administration because the government was being diligent in its approach to the issue.
He said there would be the bid evaluation which would be done until August 2021. Later, bidders would submit proposals while the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Ministry and the Labour Union would negotiate the terms of the concession.
Sirika reiterated that despite the criticisms trailing the prolonged implementation of the aviation development roadmap which encompasses the four airports concession, the government was being meticulous in the process.
He also assured that not a single worker of FAAN would lose his job, saying, “If one person will lose his job because of concession, I will stop the process.
“Once the concession happens, there will be no job loss. If we employ you and give you a letter, it means you are qualified and equipped and therefore you will continue to be a FAAN staff, there will be no single job loss and as a matter of fact, we will be needing more hands.”
