There is outrage among aviation stakeholders over the revelation that the contractor handling the second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, has demanded an increment in the contract sum from N90 billion to N532 billion.

The increase was supposed to be included in the 2025 budget, representing a 700 percent on the original sum of N90 billion in 2023.

The contractor, who was awarded the contract at the rate of N90 billion in 2023, is said to be demanding an increase to N532 billion in the 2025 budget.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, however, rejected the contract variation demand during a budget defence session at the National Assembly in Abuja.

The minister, during the budget defence session with the joint Aviation Committee of the National Assembly, revealed that ?After N3.4 billion post-contract consultancy fee was paid to contractor handling the project in May 2023, N90bn was later approved in the same year for the whole contract out of which N30bn was released.

?The contractor, after receiving the N30bn, joined the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, to pay compensations to some settlers on land and then left the site. All efforts made thereafter to get the contractor back to site proved abortive on the grounds of unacceptable contract variation being demanded.

?The contractor in question, is demanding for contract variation of N532 billion from the original sum of N90bn. To us in the ministry, the said variation is nothing but fraud, leaving us with no option than to cancel the contract and call for fresh bids.?

Following the revelations, many Nigerians, particularly key players in the sector, have expressed their anger at the system and the outrageous demand for the contract variation.

They alleged that the demand was fraught with institutional corruption, and challenged the National Assembly to unravel those behind it.

Some key players, who commented on the trending news urged the National Assembly to find out who is seeking to contract the runway for N532bn when it was awarded for N64bn in 2010, and N89bn in 2019 and six years after, it is now increased by almost 700 percent.

They also suggested that the NASS should go into its archive to follow the trend of the contract, adding that it was high time the nation separated the function of the ministry and minister of aviation from the functions of the statutory and responsible service-provider agencies.

In his reaction, the managing director of Centurion Aviation Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu, (retd) said: ?By the way, who increased the cost of the Abuja Second Runway from N89bn to N532bn? This should be the starting point for the NASS if there are records of previous Appropriation in the NASS. It started with N64bn under the now Governor Hope Uzodinma as Aviation Committee Chairman and Stella Oduah as the minister of aviation in 2007 and then it grew up to the N89bn in 2016. Nobody heard anything about any increase until now with about 700% increase, who exactly did that needs to be found out?

?Whoever did that had a plan to bargain with the NASS, probably to double the last price of N89bn to about N200bn. N200bn for a 4km Runway and possibly another 4km associated taxiway would amount to 8km in all and that would be at the rate of N25bn per km or N25m per metre! Something is wrong with those politicians in the administration of our government and the management of the agencies. That is why they come with human tools into the Agencies as CEOs and Directors and refuse to put in place Management Boards. Would you now be holding the general managers and assistant general managers responsible? If this issue is not addressed first as critical for development and growth, the industry will go nowhere with the political strides in the service agencies.

?I think the NASS must find its way out of the mess their political counterparts in the executive are trying to lock them into. They must go into their archives on the time the issues began. I still have a presentation I sent to the Senator Hope Uzodinma committee, which he asked from me. Senator Hadi Sirika had N89bn submitted to the Senate Committee led by Senator Smart Adeyemi. Where and when was the budget of N532bn submitted and by who? This is the question the house should be asking the current minister of aviation. The Ministry of Aviation and the ministers in succession have taken over the functions of the CEOs of the agencies under them to the extent that you have no idea who actually is the responsible authority in the agencies. (Nigerian Tribune)

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