The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said that there is no going back by the Federal Government on its plan to demolish three aviation agencies at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
The three agencies slated for demolition are the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Speaking with aviation journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, Sirika insisted that the plan has received presidential approval and there was no going back on the project.
Reason for demolition: He explained that the present offices of the agencies would be turned around for an aerotropolis (airport city), adding that it would also enable the link between the local and the international terminals.
Sirika described the present offices of the agencies as chaotic and disgraceful, stating that Lagos being the prime airport in the country deserves something better.
Sirika, however, said that before the project is executed the government would carry the stakeholders along. He said:
- “Assuming that is correct, I hope it will happen tomorrow morning. This chaos is what you want as an airport? Don’t you want the link between the domestic and new international terminals? Don’t you want cinemas, spars, airline offices and others within the airport environment? Are the offices befitting like this? Is it what you have here that you want to call an airport?
- “Do you want to keep going to Dubai and say the airport is beautiful? Do you want to go to Ghana and say, ‘see common Ghana?’ Is that what you want? Given the chance, I will demolish all the headquarters where we used to have Nigeria Airways, the police up to Aero Contractors and Bristow. This is our prime airport.
- “Is that wooden headquarters of FAAN developed? Is that development? This is a project by the grace of God that we have been approved to carry out. We will carry the stakeholders along. It is their right to know. We will not do it under the table. I am not known for that. We will do the right thing and we will serve the people better. History and posterity will judge us right.”
Unions’ initial ultimatum: Aviation unions had issued the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to halt the planned concession of some airports in the country and the intended demolition of the three aviation agencies.
The unions – National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) – alleged that the planned projects came short of transparency and would not be allowed to stand.
They added that the government was yet to address the labour issues as agreed upon during the conception of the projects and cautioned the successful bidders from putting pen to paper, especially on the airport concession.
Speaking on behalf of others, Comrade Ocheme Aba, the general secretary of NUATE, feared that the aviation roadmap may become an “aviation mishap” if not quickly nipped in the bud by the unions.
He had explained that none of the six aviation roadmaps promised by Sirika had been delivered by the government in the seven years and wondered why the government was bent on implementing these projects barely six months to the end of this administration.
Unaware of court summon: Meanwhile, Sirika has denied knowledge of any court summons instituted by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) against the formation of a new national carrier for the country.
Sirika said the court was yet to serve his office any papers, stressing that the government involved every one of its intent for the new national carrier, Nigeria Air.
- “I am not aware yet that anybody is in the court. I have not received any court papers. Otherwise, I will not discuss it. I have not seen any rational court that will say I am stopping somebody from floating a company.’
- “If anybody wants to come and invest in that company in Nigeria, there is no law in Nigeria that is stopping you from doing so,” he said.
