NIGERIA MASTERWEB DAILY NEWS

By Lateef Lawal Immediate reconstruction and facility upgrade are to commence at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, concessionaire for all scheduled domestic terminal operations in Lagos, Bi-Coourtney has said, contrary to a tri-partite agreement reached between it, the federal government and the protesting workers union. This development is coming on the heel of the meeting held between workers unions, the ministry of aviation and senior members of the presidency in the absence of President Umar Yar'Adua last week where it was agreed that all issues regarding the concessioning of the terminal should remain status quo ante until the return of the president from Saudi Arabia. Before the latest development, it was learnt that there was a meeting between the chairman of Bi-Courtney, FAAN, the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority during which the Chairman of Bi-Courtney, Wale Babalakin lambasted one the of the top officials present at the meeting, saying he was surprised that the organisation of the person in question could be in the forefront of those opposing Bi-Courtney in the take-over of the general aviation terminal in Lagos, bearing in mind that he-Babalakin was instrumental to the man's appointment and that since (they) were now in charge they would ensure "a balance of terror" in getting rid of the director in question. Many stake holders present at the meeting viewed the outburst of the Bi-Coutney's helmsman as a subtle blackmail aimed at having his way. However in a statement on Sunday by the company’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Olugbenga Odugbesan without any reference to the meeting held last week in Abuja, the federal capital after which a joint statement was issued mandating all the parties to maintain a status-quo ante, said "during the reconstruction, portakabin, as proposed by the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, would be provided to sustain all existing operations and services at the terminal." “Bi-Courtney’s focus is to enhance facilities and services at the GAT to complement what is at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) so as to accommodate the growing number of domestic air travellers and the increasing fleet of airlines,” Odugbesan said. “The concession agreement puts the sole responsibility for scheduled domestic terminal services on Bi-Courtney. We are not unaware of this. So, the GAT will only strengthen our repositioning efforts to deliver on our contractual obligations,” he explained. He said with the handover of GAT to Bi-Courtney, the concessionaire had not gone beyond its mandate and that the company was reaching out to all stakeholders for their support and understanding to transform the face of aviation infrastructure in Nigeria. Section 2.2 of the agreement vests exclusive responsibility for scheduled domestic terminal operations on Bi-Courtney but the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has continued to run parallel services at the GAT leading to a huge revenue loss to the concessionaire. FAAN had argued that its action was to address the limited apron space at MMA2 managed by Bi-Courtney. As a condition to withdraw from scheduled domestic services, FAAN had asked Bi-Courtney to construct a road to link MMA2’s apron to the apron at the GAT. The agency also requested a ‘graveyard’ for all disused aircraft to free up apron space at the GAT. Two years after the construction of the road and clearing of the apron of disused aircraft, FAAN has continued to run parallel services at GAT which posed a great threat to Bi-Courtney’s investment and revenue projections. The unyielding postures of the parties led to the intervention of the President, Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua, who, on 7th July directed Bi-Courtney, the Ministry of Aviation and FAAN to immediately implement the provisions of the agreement unconditionally.