The Federal Executive Council has approved the sum of N2.6 billion as variation for the procurement of security and safety operations equipment for Maiduguri International Airport in Borno State, North-East Nigeria.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Wednesday, while giving details of what transpired at the council’s meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, as it relates to the Aviation sector.
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He said: “From civil aviation we presented three memoranda and all were approved. We got an approval for variation and additional costs on contract for procurement of security and safety operations equipment for Maiduguri International airport.
“You remember in the past, the President approved an expenditure of a little over N20 billion and it is that procurement that we sought to vary because of time and also the exchange rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that has been moved upward by the CBN from N306 to N416 to a dollar and the contracts were foreign component denominated so that called for the variation of the contract. The variation is in the sum of N2, 636, 340, 471.”
Nigeria Air
Giving updates on the floating of a national carrier; Nigeria Air, he said he still stands by his word that the carrier will take off before the expiration of the tenure of President Buhari on May 29, as he assured that the next administration will sustain it.
“I think three weeks is a lot of time. Yeah. By the special grace of God it will fly. And don’t forget we didn’t start today. We started this in 2015. We drew up the roadmap; we got the transaction advisors in 2016.
“From 2016 we’ve been planning and planning and planning. Many airlines came more than 50% of the airlines today in Nigeria were licensed by us, by the Buhari’s administration. We are committed and luckily it is APC that will be in power again. We are committed to this project. This project is good for the Nigerian economy and for the traveling people.
“So this airline will be set up and the airline will be established now. And the incumbent government has no choice but to run with it. And the reason is 95% is not government owned 95% is owned by entrepreneurs. So the coming of the next government which is APC, won’t throw the investment away because it’s not their government so it will continue,” Sirika stressed.
FAAN Headquarters
Reacting to the directive of the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, to stop forthwith, the planned demolition of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Headquarters at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, pending the outcome of intervention being made by its committee on Aviation, Sirika said what the Senate said was only advisory.
“First of all, let’s put it in perspective, the intent of the government is to remove the structure housing the office of the managing director of FAAN and those commercial buildings. It’s a structure that is made of wood and has been there for 40 years. It has caught fire twice even during our administration.
“To give way for better development for what Lagos has become, it is the gateway, we want to put hotels there, shopping malls, offices, cinemas and the rest of it so FAAN can make more money and the rest of.
“And the people in that entire building are like 150 or 200. Government is going to continue of course, the Senate is advisory, it’s an executive function, we are not bound by any court of law and the government cannot be stopped from giving development to its people.
“So I think it is not an issue, they are just overheating it and you know why. But we have a responsibility and mandate and we are not shy, we are very bold to do all those things that are good for our people. We are also a very responsive and responsible government, where it will affect the lives of the people, of course, we are going to do it,” he said.
Recall, the Senate Committee on Aviation, chaired by Senator Biodun Olujimi, had drawn the attention of the upper legislative chamber to the warning strike threatened by the Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, and National Association of Aircrafts Pilots and Engineers on the planned demolition of the offices.
PIAK
