The Igbo Leaders of Thought, ILT, has said the recent concessioning of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, to Aero Alliance Ltd was another mark of marginalisation of the people of the South-East Region by the federal government.
The group, in a release on Monday, signed by Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi, President, and Prof Jerry Chukwuokolo, Secretary, rejected the transfer of the airport to the concessionaire. ILT warned that the withdrawal of federal government funding would compromise the standard of the airport, including safety infrastructure, operational efficiency and passenger experience.
ILT, comprising Igbo intellectuals, traditional rulers and stakeholders, said the concession was “another grave act of injustice against Ndigbo and a further escalation of the prolonged marginalisation of the South-East region.”
The group said it would not allow “this injustice to Ndigbo by the Tinubu government to stand”, adding that “Every lawful means possible will be adopted to challenge the deal.”
Recall that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, last Thursday handed over the airport to Aero Alliance Limited under a 30-year Public-Private Partnership. The concession, facilitated by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, covers financing, rehabilitation, expansion, operation and management.
Keyamo had said investors were reluctant to invest in the airport, and praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for making the takeover possible. He also commended Gov Mbah for taking measures towards the realization of the deal.
However, ILT contradicted the minister’s claims, saying Enugu is the only one of Nigeria’s six international airports now slated for private management. The other five remain under federal government funding and control, the release said.
Quoting them, “As of today, there is currently no active private concessionaire operating any of the other five international airports in Nigeria, namely, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport and Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo. Why should the case of Enugu International Airport, the only international airport in the South East be different?”
ILT warned that withdrawal of federal government funding would compromise the airport’s safety infrastructure, operational efficiency and passenger experience.
“Based on our findings, none of the six international airports in Nigeria is profitable. What it means is that they are all relying on government funding to operate. If the federal government stops funding Enugu International Airport, even if for one day, the facilities will go down,” ILT said.
ILT said the federal government’s recent decision to cancel the concession bidding for the international terminal of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, and instead opted for a N712 billion structural rebuild through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, was a pointer that the Enugu airport deal was not in good faith.
The group added, “Festus Keyamo claimed during the handover ceremony that there are bidders for the other five international airports. Why did he not wait for the bidding processes to be concluded, so that all the six international airports would be handed over to concessionaires the same time? Why the haste in handing over Enugu International Airport?”
The statement recalled that the airport, established in the 1950s by the Old Eastern Region government, was upgraded to international status in 2007. It cost the federal government N14 billion under the Yar’Adua and Jonathan administrations to upgrade it, and was opened to international flights in 2013.
THE WHISTLER recalls that in October 2019, the late President Muhammadu Buhari approved a N10 billion special intervention fund for runway rehabilitation, airfield lighting and perimeter fencing. The upgrade was inaugurated in August 2020. Executive Branch
“When President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, he described his government as a continuation of Buhari government. Unfortunately, Tinubu changed his policy in the case of Enugu International Airport by handing it over to a private company, rather than approve more intervention funds for the airport, like he did for the Lagos International Airport,” ILT said.
The group said aviation unions had expressed reservations about the “opaque nature” of the concession, including possible ties between the concessionaire and state officials.
“The handover of Enugu Airport is injustice to the South East. The government should fund Enugu airport like other international airports in the country,” the statement concluded.
(The Whistler)