Senate probes Abuja, Kano airports’ concession by Buhari’s govt

The Senate yesterday condemned the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) by the last administration.

The airports were concessioned a few days to the end of the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The aviation ministry had said that the projected nominal revenues from the combined concession of NAIA and MAKIA were expected to exceed $4 billion.

The ministry said this infusion of private sector investment and the resulting financial benefits would enable Nigerians to implement much-needed upgrades to airport infrastructure, technology and services.

But the Senate said the concession was hurriedly done and not in public interest.

The Red Chamber, after considering a motion by Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano), resolved to probe all airport concessions embarked upon by the last administration.

It said the probe would commence when its Committee on Aviation was constituted.

It also urged the federal government to review the exercise and give a level-playing field to all stakeholders.

Kawu accused the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, of misguiding the Federal Executive Council on the concession of the airports.

The lawmaker expressed worry that the concession raised a fundamental question of injustice on why “an elephant project with huge public investment would take place just at the end of the administration.”

Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi) said that if after the investigation the concessions were “not done in line with laid down procedures of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), they should be revoked.

“The former FEC did not do due diligence in approving this concession. Since due diligence has not been done, we should investigate the circumstances.”

Senate’s Chief Whip, Mohammed Ndume, said so many things had been done wrong by the previous administration.

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