Airports privatisation: another step to selloff our commonwealth?

Olaoluwa Ayodele

The rumour that the Nigerian Government has been planning to privatise the Nigerian airports like they had done to other Governmental Organizations like NITEL, NEPA and the likes, has finally been confirmed by the Transportation Minister, former Rivers state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.

He brought this to the hearing of Nigerians during a fact finding tour of facilities and agencies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos state on Wednesday, adding that the step would help in the maintenance of infrastructural facilities of the airports. The Transportation Minister disclosed that the Federal Government is set to privatise Lagos, Abuja , Port Harcourt and Kano International Airports.

It was eventually gathered from the Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprise, Mr. Benjamin Dikk that the privatization of Federal Airports in the country commences soon. This was noted in his presentation on Reforms and Privatisation Opportunities in Nigeria at the 9th Abuja International Trade Fair. Mr. Benjamin Dikk also pointed out the fact that the airports would be more efficient if they are being run by the private sector with the help of the aviation Ministry, just as they had done to other Governmental Organisations.

He further explained that though, the Federal Government had made substantial investment in the aviation sector, a lot still remained to be done as that was why Government was putting privatization of the Airports into consideration.

Mr Benjamin Dikk in his presentation also made it a point of duty to bring to the knowledge of Nigerians, that more Governmental Organisations like Nigerian Coal Corporation and the Nigerian Mining Corporation would be privatized as well.

The Government emphatically stated that, the essence of the planned concession of the four international airports was to guarantee efficiency and good management in view of limited resources at Government’s disposal for infrastructural development in the Aviation industry.

However, a lot of Nigerians are skeptical about the motive behind the Government’s decision to privatise the Aviation industry due to the poor maintenance of the previously privatized Governmental organizations being acquired by mostly people in the Government. Most Nigerians are assuming the same mishap would befall the said Airports.

Some even assume these Organisations are being privatised for some top officials in the Government’s personal interest and not in the interest of Nigeria and her people. A number of Nigerians has since then been asking questions if this decision made by the Nigerian Government would be a profitable or an unprofitable one having experienced such occurrence beforehand.