 |
| Former
Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Harold Demuren
(left); Chairman Airline Operators, Nigeria, Capt. Nogie Meggison and
Chairman Senate Committee on Privatisation, Sen. Ben Murray-Bruce, at a
stakeholders conference on aviation in Lagos…yesterday PHOTO: NAN |
The
Senate yesterday threw its weight behind the Federal Government’s plan
to concession the 26 airports nationwide.The Senate, with operators and
key stakeholders in the aviation sector, were unanimous that
concessioning would ensure efficient running and profitability of the
airports especially at a time government has no resources to revamp the
critical infrastructure.
SOURCE:-http://guardian.ng/
Among those who spoke at Aviation Stakeholders’ Conference in Lagos
yesterday were Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ben
Murray Bruce; Former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA), Engr. Harold Demuren; Former Director General of the
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr. Sanni Baba; Chairman
of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Nogie Meggison; Aviation
Consultant, Capt. Dele Ore; Prof. Pat Utomi and Chief Executive Officer
of CheckinNigeria, Michael Chikeka among others.
It would be recalled that the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi
Sirika, recently disclosed plans to concession the international
airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, which will be followed
by the remaining 22 airports scattered across the country. Various
unions of aviation workers have, however, kicked against the plan based
on the argument that thousands of workers will be out of employment if
concession pulls through.
Chairman Senate Committee on Privatisation, Bruce, said the government’s interest in Nigeria’s air travel industry is most valid at a time the sector lacks most requisite infrastructure and almost at the verge of collapse.
He said while the sector is in dearth of needed managerial ability to
make it profitable, government also doesn’t have the resources to
transform the airports into a world class facilities befitting of the
country.
Bruce noted that Nigeria has a lot to gain from privatisation of its
airports, citing success stories both in passengers and revenues of
British Airport Authority and Heathrow airport since they were
privatised some years ago.
According to him, “All the nations with thriving aviation industry
and most successful airports are those that have privatised their
aviation industry and the airports. Conversely, all the nations that
have a troubled aviation industry and the worst airports in the world
are nations that have not privatised their aviation industry and their
airports.”
“I have a list of the worst airports in the world and they are in
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Haiti, Venezuela, Uzbekistan, Nepal and Nigeria.
The best airports in the world: Quata, Japan, United Kingdom,
Switzerland, Hong Kong, North Korea and Singapore.
“Fact is that the government does not have the managerial operating
capacity to manage airport this day and age. The bureaucracy of the
civil service is not conducive to the automation expected of an airport
environment under the best of circumstances. The fact is that Nigeria
needs to hands off airport and privatise them, or at the very least,
concession them out to private sector managers with the experience and
know-how to run these facilities in a business-like manner,” he said.
The Senator assured the gathering that his committee was ready to
ensure the laws required to fast-track the privatisation of the
airports, coupled with ensuring that the “privatisation laws have
irrevocable and irreversible clause, such that no new government will
just come in and reverse what previous government did.”
“It is my proposal that after every privatisation, there should be a
two-year contestability period, during which anyone that has any reason
why the privatisation should be executed is allowed to contest the
exercise with facts and documents evidence.
“Once that window of time has passed, everyone including the
government, becomes bound from contesting any aspect of the
privatisation exercise. We cannot make progress if our privatisation
exercise is in jeopardy every time there is a change of government. We
need to give local and international investors confidence in our
system,” he said.
Demuren noted that Nigerians are debating on airport concession or not simply because the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) among others have failed in their responsibility.
He, however, insisted that the transport ministry must come out clear
on exactly what they are privatising, be it the terminal, runway,
security apparatus, non-navigational facilities and so on.
Chairman of the AON, Meggison, also added that with concessioning of
the airports, if transparent and given to the right investors, it will
attract managerial efficiency, profitability, job creation and better
navigational and non-navigational facilities for the industry.
