Lagos, Abuja, Kano airports get bidders

Agency reports,

The Federal Government yesterday announced preferred and reserved bidders for three of its major airport.

The three airports that got bids at the deadline of request for proposals are the Nnamdi Azikwe International airport, Abuja, Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika said the preferred and reserved bidders are foreign companies that are in partnership with local firms.

He assured the labour unions that there will be no loss of jobs.

On the concession, Sirika said: “The Federal Ministry of Aviation in line with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, 2005, and global best practice, hereby informs all stakeholders, local and international, development partners, and members of the media, that the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase of the Nigeria Airports Concession Programme (NACP), which came to a close on the 19th of September 2022 has seen the emergence of preferred and reserve bidders for three out of four airports and cargo terminals as approved for concession under the programme.

“The Federal Ministry of Aviation is in consultation with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and other stakeholders as regards the way forward for the fourth airport asset which did not receive bids at the time of the RFP deadline.

On the bidders, he said: “The preferred bidder for the Nnamdi Azikiwe Internationa! Airport (NAIA), Abuja, is Corporacion America Airports Consortium and ENL Consortium has also been selected as the reserve bidder for NAIA.

“The preferred bidder for Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, is TAV/NAHCO/PROJECT PLANET LIMITED(PPL) Consortium and Sifax/Changi Consortium has also been selected as the reserve bidder for MMIA.

“The preferred bidder for Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano is Corporacion America Airports Consortium.

The minister however noted that there were no reserve bidders for MAKIA as of the time of the announcement.

On Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Port Harcourt, he said: “We did not receive any proposals as of the request for proposals deadline close and as such has not had preferred and reserve bidders attached to it.”

On the next step of action, he said: “The Federal Ministry of Aviation reminds all stakeholders that this is a multistage process and as such, this is not the final outcome of the NACP programme.

“The next stage of the programme is the negotiations and due diligence stage, during which the Federal Government will invite preferred bidders to enter detailed negotiations with its representatives, with a view to developing a Full Business Case (FBC) before onward transmission to ICRC for review and approval.

“Only after the successful conclusion of the negotiation and due diligence stage will the FBC and all other approvals be presented before the Federal Executive Council for final approval by the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

He urged all participants who have responded to the request for proposals to ensure that they continue to refer to the NACP website — www.nacp.aviation.gov.ng, where all Updates and relevant documentation, including updated Frequently asked questions can be found.

On the likelihood of job loss, Sirika said: “In the negotiation with the bidders, we agreed that for the first two years, nobody will be touched. This means that there will be no job loss. After two years, the companies will evaluate the staff and retain those they want. Those that are not needed will be absorbed by FAAN.

He also said the Union were carried along as part of the Project Delivery team.