Nigeria Senate orders suspension of airport terminal handover

The Nigeria Senate has directed the Minister of Aviation Babatunde Omotaba not to continue with the handover of Grand Aviation Terminal 2 at the local wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos to Bi-Courtney Nigeria Limited.

A statement signed by the Clerk, Senate Committee on Aviation, Aborisade A. Victor, said the chairman of the committee, Senator Elder Anyimude (PDP Ebonyi South), had asked the minister and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Chief Michael Aandoka to suspend the hand-over until the Senate Committee intervenes in the matter, with a view to resolving all the issues involved to avoid the looming crisis in the aviation sector.

The statement reads in part, “The attention of the Senate Committee on Aviation has been drawn to media reports on a decision by the federal government to hand-over Grand Aviation Terminal 2 at the local wing of Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos to Bi-Courtney Nigeria Limited on Saturday, September 19, 2009. The committee has also noted media reports on the threats by Arik Airlines to suspend its services if the federal government eventually hands over the GAT2 to Bi-Courtney Nigeria Limited.”

With the suspension of the handover, the committee is expected to summon all stake parties involved next month when the lawmakers are expected to resume from their two months of annual leave.