THE Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described media reports that the Federal Government had agreed to a lengthy concession period for the Enugu International Airport as untrue.

The minister stated this in a statement on Monday, April 21, by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood.

He said while it is true that the Federal Government was considering proposals for the concession of five major airports, the reports that it had agreed to a lengthy period of concession of the Enugu airport were “utterly baseless and untrue.”

“At this stage, prospective concessionaires have indeed submitted various proposals, including different durations for the concession. 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 that will eventually be reviewed by the ICRC before it is presented to the Minister for conveyance to the FEC for approval,” Keyamo explained.

Stressing that the review process had yet to be concluded, the minister, however, said he had some months ago directed 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,” Keyamo maintained.

The need to concession the Enugu and four other airports is a proactive measure to ensure the facilities meet and maintain international standards, given the increasing financial demands of their operations.

He added, “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 from previous administrations.”

He assured that the aviation ministry under his leadership would ensure that all decisions are made in the best interest of the nation and the aviation sector.

The ICIR reported on Saturday, April 19, that the Federal Government ordered the temporary closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu State to allow emergency repairs on a critical section of the runway.

The directive conveyed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) became necessary following the discovery of a sudden rupture in the asphalt surface of the runway, posing a significant safety concern.

The emergency repairs are to be conducted from April 22 to May 6, even as FAAN said the closure was in line with civil aviation regulations and part of efforts to ensure passenger safety and upgrade of airport infrastructure.

Appealing to travellers for the inconvenience this would cause them during the period of repairs and reopening of the airport, FAAN said all flights should be diverted to nearby airports, including the Asaba Airport in Delta State.