The Nigerian government is to concession all federal airports in the country rather than the four major airports it earlier planned to privatize.
The minster of Aviation, Hadi Sirika at a Senate briefing in Abuja said the concession would not lead to job losses for skilled personnel
He also appealed to airport workers unions to join hands with the government instead of opposing all genuine moves to seek solutions to challenges in the sector
TVC News Sumner Sambo reports that the aviation minister is at this Senate hearing to explain what efforts are
being made to reduce the mounting challenges in the sector such as protests against the concession of airports, scarcity of aviation fuel and failure of foreign airlines to repatriate their ticket sales.
The minister insists that the concession of airports is inevitable.
He also says the recent retrenchment and downgrading of top officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is an ongoing exercise that would also affect other aviation agencies.
Aviation experts at the hearing blamed the scarcity of aviation fuel in Nigeria on a cabal of corrupt oil marketers.
The Aviation committee promised to push for strong recommendations by the Senate that would revive the ailing industry through improved funding and effective legislation.
