Aviation industry stakeholders have raised concerns over the Federal Government’s decision to concession the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, faulting the process that led to the selection of Aero Alliance as the concessionaire.
The concerns followed the formal signing of the concession agreement by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, which the ministry described as a significant step in modernising Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure through public-private partnerships.
According to the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr Tunde Moshood, although the main concession agreement has been executed, two outstanding operational issues — security charges and the financial model for airport operations — are expected to be resolved in the coming weeks to ensure smooth implementation.
Prior to the signing, reports suggesting that the airport had been concessioned for 80 years had generated widespread criticism within the aviation sector. However, Mr Keyamo later clarified that the concession period is 30 years.
Reacting to the development, aviation analyst and Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd.), expressed support for airport concession in principle but argued that the duration should not exceed 20 years. He said a shorter period would allow the government to properly evaluate the profitability and effectiveness of the arrangement.
Ojikutu also maintained that airport concessions should focus primarily on non-aeronautical services and should not be carried out on a single international airport in isolation. According to him, each international airport should be concessioned alongside at least four domestic airports.
He questioned the transparency of the process, asking how many companies participated in the bidding and why the process was not made public. He further expressed concern that the decision appeared to have been taken without broad stakeholder engagement, warning against repeating past policy missteps in the aviation sector.
“If Enugu Airport is to be concessioned, it should not be done alone. It should be paired with smaller domestic airports. Nigeria has five international airports, and none of them should be concessioned in isolation. This approach would reduce the burden on government resources. The concession period should also be limited to about 20 years to allow proper assessment of revenue and value,” he said.
However, another aviation expert, Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult, Mr Chris Aligbe, disagreed with Ojikutu’s position on the duration of the concession. He stated that a 30-year concession period is standard practice in airport management globally.
Aligbe argued that public attention should be focused more on the terms and conditions of the concession rather than its length. He explained that concession agreements differ widely, with durations ranging from 15 to as much as 50 years, depending on the financial model and scope of responsibilities assigned to the concessionaire.
Meanwhile, aviation labour unions have also expressed strong opposition to the agreement, calling for its immediate reversal. The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) jointly faulted the process, alleging that workers’ representatives were sidelined.
In a letter dated January 26 and addressed to the Minister of Aviation, the unions stated that labour-related issues were not properly addressed before the agreement was signed. They claimed that no formal agreement was concluded with the unions, despite assurances that labour matters would be embedded in the concession framework.
The unions described the process as lacking transparency and warned that it had triggered serious agitation among staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) nationwide. They said the failure to adequately consider the welfare and interests of affected workers demonstrated insensitivity on the part of the authorities.
Consequently, the unions rejected the concession agreement and urged the Minister to halt and reverse the process to allow for due consultation, transparency, and the resolution of outstanding labour issues before proceeding further.
Aviation Stakeholders Question Transparency in Enugu Airport Concession Deal
