sirika
Hadi Sirika

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has said that the Federal Government will go ahead with its plan to concede the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port-Harcourt International Airports to improve their safety and capacity.

In a meeting with journalists in Lagos, the minister revealed the plan of the Federal Government  to transform the nation into a hub for air travel:

“Nigeria has potential to do between 70 to 100 million passengers annually, within the next five years, if the right things are put in place.

“The 15 million annual passengers which is the country’s current capacity can be improved upon if private investors are allowed to participate in the sector.

“Government does not have money to put into these businesses and we don’t want to sell these facilities either; so that is why we are concessioning them because it is the only way to go.’’

The Minister who said the current condition of airports in the nation made it difficult to attract desired number of passengers also disclosed the government’s ambition to establish a privately- funded national carrier, a Repair, Maintenance and Overhaul (RMO) facility as well as a leasing company.