The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Barr..Festus Keyamo has said some federal government agencies raised red flags on the Nigeria Air and the Airports Concession projects leading to his suspension of both projects.
He also said individuals and other interested parties also raised red flags on the projects.
Recall Barr. Festus had recently suspended the Nigeria Air Project and the planned concession of the big four and most profitable airports in Nigeria.
Barr. Keyamo on Tuesday in Abuja during a scheduled inspection of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja said both projects remain suspended pending further review.
He said it will be irresponsibility of him not to yield to the pressures and review the entire processes leading to the final deals on the projects.
“So no final decision has been taken on all of these but I won’t be here because it will be very irresponsible of me as a minister to come in and agencies of governments are raising red flags here and there, and I will keep quiet. I’m not talking about even Nigerians complaining, agencies of government are raising red flags about both projects” he said.
Some “people were already putting machineries in motion to commit themselves, so as to save them and save us. I said don’t commit, hold on. Don’t commit anything so that your commitments will not go into these adventures. Like I said before, be responsive to the feelings of Nigerians, to the red flags that have been raised by certain agencies of government, and then we take a final decision*
Speaking on the second runway for the Abuja airport he said “the second runway for a gateway like Abuja for capital city is extremely important and I pray that all agencies of government, the National Assembly, the presidency, will give us the support to make sure we deliver that project within 12 months.”
He noted that with the payment of compensation to the indigenes affected by the construction work, the contractor, CCECC had assured that they will move to site site by next week as some of the he indigenes have started relocating.
He said “so we are going to invite Mr. President to come and commission it. And it’s a project Nigerians have been waiting for forever. It has been a controversial project from our Obasanjo time to now. Well, thankfully, this government is set to commence that project and it’s one of the projects that is a low hanging fruit for us. And we think it’s extremely important”
