Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
has announced the Federal Executive Council’s decision to approve the
concessioning of the Lagos and Abuja airports.
He
made the announcement while speaking at the Presidential Quarterly
Business Forum at the State House in Abuja on Monday, September 11,
2017.
In a tweet posted by the presidency’s official Twitter account (@NGRPresident), the Vice President revealed, “I’m pleased to say the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the concessioning of the Lagos and Abuja airports.”
The concession ensures private companies and investors can be more involved in the day-to-day running of the airports.
After
the Federal Government inaugurated a committee to map out the
concessioning process to allow the private sector take over at least
four major airports at Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kano and Lagos in 2016, several labour unions in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) publicly opposed it, expressing their concerns about the lack of transparency involved in the process.
The
House of Representatives Committee on Aviation also publicly stated its
objections to the plan, expressing concern for what might happen to
over 4,000 workers if the concession is approved.