NASS Summons Sirika Over Airport Concession

The National Assembly has directed the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and other stakeholders in the industry to appear before it over the concession of four major airports in the country.

Sirika is expected to appear before a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Wednesday to answer questions on the Federal Government’s plan to concession the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports.

This was disclosed by Mr Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports.

“The National Assembly has invited us for a meeting on Wednesday. It is a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“They have invited the minister, the unions and other civil society groups to deliberate on issues surrounding the concession of the airports,’’ Abioye said.

He also noted that the unions had suspended their 15 days ultimatum over the concession issues following the intervention of the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige.

Abioye said: “The minister of labour has intercepted that ultimatum. He invited us to Abuja for a meeting last week including the minister of aviation.

“Each party laid bare their own side of the story and the minister has now agreed that workers and the unions will be fully carried along because we also alleged that we were not in the know of so many things he was doing.

“He has promised that they will expand the scope of their operations and carry everybody along.’’

According to the NUATE secretary general, Sirika explained at the meeting that the issue of concession was his idea but that the transaction advisers who had been appointed would determine the type of models for the concession process.

He explained that the three of the transaction advisers were from the United Kingdom, one from the United States, and one from Nigeria to serve as local content partner.