Senate to probe concession of 110yr-old Mallam Aminu Airport, Kano, Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja

The Senate has raised alarm and concluded arrangements to probe the concession of the 110 year old Mallam Aminu International Airport, Kano and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as soon as the Committee on Aviation is constituted.

The Senate raised the alarm, claiming that Nigeria is receiving a concession fees or upfront of $1.5m while the total amount of money that the Kano airport which was established in 1913 is accruing to the government is $97.4m.

The Senate, therefore, urged the Federal Government to review the entire exercise and give a level playing field to all stakeholders.

The Upper Chamber also condemned in strong terms, the concession of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, stressing that it was not done in public interest.

Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Kawu Sumaila, NNPP, Kano South, titled, “Urgent Need to Reverse the Concession of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano”.

Senator Sumaila, in his presentation of the motion, pointed out that the Federal Executive Council, on May 17 approved the concession of the Kano airport for 30 years, to Messrs Corporación America Airports Consortium.

He disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Aviation does not own, or run, any airport in Nigeria, stressing that if the claim that FEC had approved the concession of Kano Airport has any substance, then the Federal Executive Council was indeed misguided in its decision.

The lawmaker lamented that the concession by the Buhari-led administration 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 Sumaila  inform the Senate: “Notes that the Federal Executive Council, on 17th May, 2023, approved the concessioning of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano for 30 years, to Messrs Corporación America Airports Consortium;

“Aware that the Federal Ministry of Aviation (and Aerospace) does not own, or run, any airport in Nigeria and that by the dictates of the governing Act of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), ownership and management of all federal government airports are fully vested in the Authority;

“Also aware that the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) procedure document states, with respect to the agency that wishes to concession a facility that, “The public entity should have enabling authority to transfer its responsibility – enabling legislative and policy framework or an Administrative Order to that effect;

“Reflects that from the combined import of the FAAN Act and the ICRC procedures manual, is an evident manifestation that the entire airports concession is based on an incurably faulty foundation. For, there is no doubt that it is the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, not the Ministry of Aviation, that has power ‘to transfer its responsibility’ to a would-be concessionaire. It is also FAAN, not the Ministry, which has the requisite ‘legislative & policy framework’ for such.”