Stakeholders in the aviation industry are billed to converge on Lagos to deliberate on and develop a legal frame work and a transparent process for the proposed concession of Nigerian airports.
The convener of the event, Mr. Chikeka Michael, said in a statement issued in Lagos that the conference which holds on September 23 “is necessary to avoid the mistakes made in the previous concessions.”
“There is no doubt that government has continued to struggle with ensuring the operational viability of these airports rather than operational and profitability of same. In the end, it is almost unattainable for government to run a profitable airport.
“We are aware of certain concessions in the past that generated cases of litigation. We are happy that government has started to think in the right direction,” he said.
He said the conference will create an opportunity for existing private operators to come together for the first time to address concerns as they affect regulations, taxes, government expectations and adherence to standard recommended practices (SARPS).
He added that the event will help industry stakeholders with diverse opinions to understand that “concession is the way to go if the industry is to meet international standards.”
Speakers at the event include, the minister of state for aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, Dr. Pat Utomi, Senator Ben Bruce, Aminu Dike, Capt. Dele Ore, the former director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, among others.