FG resolves 20-year MM2 dispute with Bi-Courtney, approves aircraft leasing firm

By Egena Sunday Ode

The Federal Government has resolved the over two-decade dispute surrounding the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MM2) in Lagos, marking a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s aviation sector reforms.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Keyamo said the Council approved two critical memoranda presented by his ministry, including the final settlement of the long-standing disagreement between the Federal Government and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited over the MM2 concession.

He described the resolution as a definitive end to a dispute that had spanned successive administrations for more than 20 years.

“We can happily tell you that this government has resolved that issue, a 20-year-old dispute, once and for all,” the minister said.

The dispute had centred on the scope of Bi-Courtney’s concession, which began in 2003 and was later extended, with disagreements over whether it included the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal One (MM1), the domestic wing operated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

According to Keyamo, the matter had culminated in a Supreme Court judgment in favour of Bi-Courtney, which awarded the concessionaire N132 billion in damages, plus accrued interest, over alleged revenue losses.

However, under the new agreement approved by FEC, Bi-Courtney, owned by aviation investor Wale Babalakin, agreed to forfeit the entire N132 billion claim.

“First thing, I told him, write off the N132 billion plus interest; nobody is going to pay you that. He wrote it off,” Keyamo revealed.

He added that Bi-Courtney also relinquished its claim to MM1, allowing the Federal Government to retain control of the domestic terminal, which he described as critical to national aviation operations.