Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed a media report claiming that a lengthy concession period had been agreed upon for the  Enugu International Airport.
Keyamo, who acknowledged that the government was considering concessions and had received proposals from various interested companies, however, said no conclusion had been reached.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Keyamo described the media report as utterly “baseless and untrue”.
Recall that Enugu airport came under media scrutiny barely few days now, after Air Peace airline suspended its flight operations to the airport due to infrastructural defects.
This suspension of flight services prompted the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to immediately shut the airport, stating that it would embark on emergency runway rehabilitation.
Kenyamo noted that many of the airports in the country are operating at a loss and have to be subsidised monthly by the government, reinforcing the need for concessions.
”Whilst it is true that the Federal Government is considering proposals for the concession of five major airports, this is a proactive measure to ensure these vital facilities can meet and maintain international standards, given the increasing financial demands of their operations.
“Many of our airports are presently running at a loss, so they have to be subsidised each month by the Federal Government. It is noteworthy that this initiative to concession started under previous administrations.
“At this stage, prospective concessionaires have indeed submitted various proposals, including different durations for the concessions. It is important to emphasise that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has not established any fixed duration.
“All submitted proposals are currently undergoing thorough evaluation and will eventually be reviewed by the ICRC before being pre sented to the Minister for onward conveyance to the FEC for approval. We can confirm that this review process has not been concluded.
“However, for the sake of transparency, the Honourable Minister of Aviation and .
Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, directed some months ago that the Aviation Labour Unions be included as part of the negotiating teams.
“Therefore, we must state unequivocally that the information suggesting a predetermined concession duration is false, unfounded, and intended to cause unwarranted disaffection and mistrust in this process by those with entrenched interests”, it stated.

Corlins Walter