By Yakubu Dati(General Manager,Corporate Communications)
The attention of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has been drawn to recent statements in the media, credited to the spokesperson of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, to the effect that the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja was included in the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) concession between the company and the Federal Government. The Authority is constrained to ask members of the public, especially aviation stakeholders, to discountenance that often bandied claim because it is false, misleading and mischievous, to say the least.
We observed, with interest, quotations from questionable documents or portions of documents that suited their assertion about the duration of the BOT and Government’s directive for the so-called takeover of the GAT.
We consider this unfortunate because Bi-Courtney knows that the only authentic document on the agreement limits the duration of the concession to 12 years and that the area of land occupied by the GAT is clearly outside the area of land granted Bi-Courtney for the concession. These facts have been stated for the umpteen time.
Bi-Courtney is only crying foul now because the Federal Government has decided that there should be transparency and fairness in all concession agreements with government agencies.
It is convenient for Bi-Courtney to deceive unwary Nigerians into thinking that the MMA Domestic Terminal I (named MMA2 by Bi-Courtney) controversy will discourage private investors in the industry but it forgets to add that ill-motivated, manipulated and unbelievable concession agreements, skewed against the interest of the Nigerian people, cannot stand the test of time. No amount of playing to the gallery, twisting the law and facts or appeal to undue sentiment can change this.
The Transformation Agenda of Government in the aviation industry, among other things, is geared towards eliminating selfish business models that create perusal business empires and not a level playing field for all stakeholders, capable of contributing meaningfully to genuine growth of the country’s aviation industry.
Meanwhile, skeletal operations have commenced at the newly reconstructed Domestic Terminal I (popularly known as the GAT) while the installation of operational facilities is going on. Passengers started using the arrivals hall from October 23, 2012 to minimize the discomfort of arriving passengers while full departures formalities will commence there in the next two weeks.
