December 12, (THEWILL) – The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has informed the Joint Committee of the National Assembly that he has written a memo to Mr President, for a quality concession process for the Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Enugu airports.
This is just as he pointed out that he has also taken into consideration the concerns of the 9th Assembly as regards the non-transparent manner it was conducted before the President Tinubu-led administration came to power.
The Minister made the disclosure when he met with the 10th Assembly joint committee on Aviation technology today, December 12, 2023, for the 2024 Ministry of Aviation budget defence.
Putting the performance of the 2023 budget at 40% based on the releases so far, and the 2024 budget for the entire Ministry and its Agencies at Sixty-three Billion, the Honourable Minister said that critical projects such as Abuja second runway, upgrade and rehabilitation of the old terminal of Lagos airport, were vital projects that need urgent attention.
He affirmed his five areas of focus for the industry included ensuring strict compliance with safety regulations and continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s rating by ICAO; support for the growth and sustenance of local airline businesses whilst holding them to the highest international standards in the aviation industry; improvement of infrastructure in the aviation industry; development of human capacity within the industry and optimising revenue generation for the Federal Government.
Keyamo also added that an extra N81 billion will be needed for the completion of the 2nd runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, stressing the danger associated with having only one runway for a capital city like Abuja.
Speaking further he appealed to the 10th Assembly’s joint committee for the procurement of consultancy for the design of a master plan for major airports in Nigeria, stating the need to give more attention to the area of safety with the procurement of equipment.
The minister further informed the committee that Mr President has graciously approved the purchase of screening machines for the 5 international airports in Nigeria.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
