Airport Concession: Restore confidence in industry -experts urged FG

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

The plan to concession four prime airports in the country is affecting investors’ confidence in the aviation sector, thus affecting businesses and growth of the sector.
Experts are therefore calling on the federal government to urgently work toward restoring the needed confidence in the shortest possible time, arguing that the longer such critical statements are left in the mind of investors without concrete direction, the further the industry losses investment.
Olu Ohunayo, a member of the Aviation Round Table Initiative (ARTI) said what is important now is a policy direction that will serve as catalyst for investment flow from within and outside the country.
He said “The concession plan is fantastic, what is needed now is to carry everyone along in the concession train; workers in the industry, stakeholders, investors, the media etc so that everyone will work in unison toward unlocking the huge potentials of the Nigerian aviation industry.”
Corroborating Ohunayo, defunct Nigeria Airways engineer and CEO of Finus Aviation Services Engr. Kyari said the industry is at the point of launching into it eldorado and take it rightful hub destination in West and Central Africa hence the need to quickly put confidence in place.
Kyari said “ we have a Minister who is a product of the industry so he knows what needed to be done. Nigeria is the heartbeat of aviation in West and Central Africa so we need to put everything on the right track and the investment will start flowing in.
“ Once this concession brouhaha is settle, the country will become the hub of aviation in the places l mention earlier, but the business outlook rest principal on the policy statement of government and how transparently it is driven”.