Enugu airport concession raises questions

The announcement of the conclusion of the concession of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, is raising dust in the aviation industry even as aviation workers’ unions have maintained sealed lips over the concession. The signing ceremony for the concession took place at the […]

The announcement of the conclusion of the concession of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, is raising dust in the aviation industry even as aviation workers’ unions have maintained sealed lips over the concession.

The signing ceremony for the concession took place at the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Abuja, where the Minister received a combined delegation of Enugu State Government officials and representatives of Aero Alliance, the concessionaire.

The concession of the airport was part of the government’s drive to modernise Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure through strategic public-private partnerships, a statement by Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister said.

At the signing in Abuja, the Enugu State delegation was led by the Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Obi Ozor, while the Aero Alliance team included Engr. Chuks Aniekwe, Barrister Oyiwodu Okibe-Oga, Onyedikachi Nwachukwu, Kester Enwereonu, and Barrister Michael Nwaechie of Ivy Solicitors.

Also present from the Federal Government side were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Dr. Yakubu Adams Kofarmata; the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku; Director, Legal Services, FAAN, Mrs. Bridget Iwinose Gold, alongside other top officials of the Ministry and FAAN.

Daily Trust reports that in the statement, there was no mention of the concession tenure and other critical details like the revenue sharing model.

Enugu is one of the five international airports in Nigeria proposed for concession.

It would be recalled that the Minister had earlier in 2025 debunked a media report about the concession of the airport for 80 years.

However, at the signing ceremony in Abuja, the Minister stated that while the main concession agreement has now been concluded, two operational issues — security charges and the financial model for airport operations — will be resolved in the coming weeks to ensure smooth implementation.

Keyamo said, “Today is the end of a very long and tedious process regarding the concession of Enugu airport which started long ago, and culminated on the 31st of July 2025, when the Federal executive Council approved the proposal to concession the Enugu airport.

“After the approval of the Federal executive Council, subject to contract of course, we, in the ministry, and of course, our team in the Federal Airports Authority, led by the MD, and of course, officials of Aero Alliance, we have gone through a long process of negotiations that also involve the aviation unions. We did this agreement with the rights and privileges of workers uppermost in our minds.

“And let me say today that we have, in this agreement, fully respected and preserved the rights of the aviation workers. That was uppermost in our minds. The workers, to fully announce it, have not been retrenched.

“The terms and conditions of their employment have not been changed in any way. The workers have not been shortchanged in any way at all. They remain the workers of the Federal Government and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, fully employed by the Federal Government.

“Nothing has changed. And that, of course, should be the concern of the workers. Having gone through that, that their jobs are safe and protected, the rest is a responsibility of the Federal Government to set policies for itself, and not the workers to dictate what the government should do, what the government should not do, with its assets.

“And so that is why having gone through that, that’s on taking care of the rights of the workers, we also looked at various other issues, and we have virtually covered all the issues before the signing of this agreement. There are two little issues, of course, after signing an agreement that, in terms of operationalizing the agreement, that we have to resolve.

“Those are the two issues regarding security fee, and, of course, the financial model, in terms of the operations of the airport. That, of course, will be done in the next few weeks. But in terms of the main concession of the airports, we have agreed to concession the airport to Aero Alliance that we are doing today.”

Keyamo insisted that the concession would reposition the Enugu Airport for efficiency, improved service delivery, and enhanced passenger experience.

Aero Alliance registered in 2024

Daily Trust reports that the company which the airport was concessioned, Aero Alliance, was registered on 16 July, 2024 with Two Persons with Significant Control (PSCs). They are Enwereonu Chukwudi Kester and Okibe – Oga Oyiwodu Adaji.

It was however learnt that the company which has no history of aviation business in Nigeria is a special purpose company deployed by the Enugu State Government to take over the management of the airport.

This, sources say, explain the involvement of the Enugu State Government in the signing of the agreement.

Division among workers

While the Minister claimed the “rights and privileges” of workers had been addressed, some aviation workers who spoke with our correspondent faulted the Minister’s claim, describing it as wuru-wuru concession.

General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Rasaq Saidu in a chat with our correspondent described the claim that the “rights and privileges” of workers had been addressed as a “misinformation.”

He said, “It is a misinformation to say the unions have been carried along. As far as I am concerned, we have not discussed the issue of labour matters and we have not agreed that they should be doing this concession in piecemeal. What we discussed is that it should be geographical. What the Minister is saying is misinformation.”

According to him, the unions’ position remains that airport concession should be carried out in a manner that the viable airports would be paired with those considered unviable.

Speaking with our correspondent, Olumide Ohunayo, General Secretary of Aviation Roundtable and Safety Initiative, said his opinion was that the concession must be in the interest of the state.

He said, “The honourable Minister in the last two years had not hidden the plan of the federal government to concession Enugu Airport and also the approval that was given by the President for the aviation ministry to go ahead and discuss with Enugu State Government and that was approved by Mr. President a long time ago.

“While both parties were discussing, I think the Enugu State Government chose a special purpose company for that project to handle the discussions and other technicalities.

“It is now left for the state government to see how they manage that organisation so that the concession would not be tied to individuals or tied to a party that would now affect the concession operation because they are looking at a concession that would go over the next 20, 30 years.

“So when you have that concession, it must be tied to the state and to the interest of the state and the people of the state and that is what we want to see.”

Ohunayo stated that with the silence coming from the unions, it appears they have been carried along in the concession process.

“The unions are very quiet which is very unusual. Invariably they must have been carried along or they are satisfied with the discussion and protection of their members.

“There is nothing wrong if some airports are being taken over by some state governments. There are so many airports that were built by the state and they pushed it to the government but this time it is the state that is saying, ‘give us this airport and we will manage it better.’

“And it is commendable but we just need to be sure that as it is going to the state, the airport would be improved upon, it would be beneficial to both the state and the people of the state; and not an airport that is tied to individuals or a political party.”

On his part, Aviation analyst, Group Capt. John Ojikutu said the concession of Enugu Airport is not different from the one carried out by the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika which was later reversed.

He called for concern in the ongoing concession programme.