The House of Representatives has demanded that the planned concession agreements of Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt air ports should be put on hold pending resolution of all knotty issues and grey areas raised by the various stakeholders.
The House said it was worried about issues already raised by the various Unions in the sector and warned that it was better to tarry a while and resolve all bottlenecks in order to avoid creating more troubles for the distressed aviation sector.
Nnolim Nnaji, chairman, House Committee on Aviation, who gave the position of the House of Representatives, explained that it was important to step down the concession agreements so that all relevant stakeholders agree on the appropriate thing to avoid chaos in the sector.
He noted that these were not the best times for the Aviation industry which has suffered adversely following the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the committee would doing everything possible and right to ensure that the sector bounces back
He said: “You may recall that in September or thereabout, this committee had interactions with the representatives of the labour unions on this subject matter.
“During the meeting which was sequel to our earlier intervention over the unions’ strike action against the concession, a lot of concerns were raised by the representatives of the labour unions regarding the airports’ concession.
“Among the concerns were the lack of transparency in the exercise, labour issues, the Chinese loans, the legal issues that may arise from the existing concessions and the lack of proper valuation of the present status of the affected airports, among others.
“In view of this, the House of Representatives committee on Aviation hereby requests that the concession of the four Airports should be put on hold pending the resolution of the contentious issues raised by the unions and other Stakeholders to avoid industrial actions that may further cripple the already distressed industry
“We are hopeful that at the end of the day, our Intervention would provide opportunity for all the parties to reach a common ground that will move Aviation industry forward. Once again, on behalf of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation.”