The Federal Government?s decision to approve N712 billion for renovation of the old terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has come under further scrutiny with industry analysts saying government should have opted for a concession arrangement, not direct investment.

The experts expressed their views as Mr. Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, questioned what could be done to please them.

Moshood in a statement, titled ?MMIA Renovation Bruhaha?What Do Nigerians Really Want??, also described them as cafeteria experts, who had never built terminals or operated airlines.

Speaking on the backlash that has trailed the development, the minister?s spokesperson stated: ?Suddenly, everyone became an infrastructure economist, a seasoned aviation planner or worse, a self-styled corruption watchdog.

?But in all of this noise, one crucial question has been ignored: What do Nigerians really want? Is it a modern, world-class international airport that can stand toe-to-toe with global benchmarks or another patchwork job that barely scratches the surface of over four decades of infrastructural decay??

Let Nigerians judge whether it?s good or not ? Keyamo

The minister had in an interview on Arise Prime Programme on Arise TV on Monday, also defended the project, describing aviation as the nation?s most critical gateway to foreign investment and global perception.

While insisting that the airport upgrade was not just a matter of infrastructure, but national image and economic sense, Keyamo said: ?Without an aviation sector and the gateway to the country, you will not attract anybody to your country. It is the face of the country. Aviation is the face of the country.

?Any government that does not prioritise that, you want to destroy every single foreign investment that is coming into the country.?

He argued that Nigerians were already aware of the significance of the Lagos airport and its influence on tourism, especially during the festive season.

?So these issues, Nigerians who are listening to us are more intelligent than most of us. They understand the issues involved here. They understand the priority we have given to the airport, the Lagos airport, which is the face of the nation, virtually the face of the nation. And guess what? It?s going to have a multiplier effect on tourism.

?Look at Detty December, are you not proud of Detty December? That Lagos is now known for Detty December? Is it that airport, that old airport you want to bring people in all over the world to do Detty December in Lagos?

?When they land, they see the heat at the airport. When they land, they go to airport toilet that is smelly.?

When challenged about whether the huge amount allocated to the airport was a misplaced priority, Keyamo said the public could judge for themselves.

?Not to Nigeria. I said you are doing it to me. I said the same. I?ve told you about priority. You are coming back to the same thing I?ve answered a hundred times. Okay, next question. Well, let?s, let?s go to some other things. Let Nigerians judge whether it is good or not,? the minister said.

Explaining the scope and modernity of the project, Keyamo said the idea that airports were simply about concrete structures was outdated.

?People think airports are blocks and cement. That is the mentality in their heads. Airports are not blocks and cement. Airports include very intricate equipment, navigation, communication equipment, carousels, high-tech equipment, and we are going to make it a smart airport.

?You know what smart airports are around the world? The highest-tech equipment will be in those airports. That is what it is all over the world now,? Keyamo said.

He referenced global comparisons to argue that Nigeria?s N712 billion ($470m) airport renovation was modest when measured against similar projects worldwide.

He said: ?So we?re not comparing oranges and apples. It?s orange and orange. Airports have been refurbished across the world. The lowest is about $1 billion. And in Africa, Angola is $3.5 billion; South Africa, $1.2 billion.

?What is it called? Addis Ababa, $7.8 billion. And on Cambodia, $1.5 billion. Guess what ours is? $470 million. More than less than half a billion dollars. That is what we are doing, and guess what? It?s not only the building itself.?

But the Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult and former spokesman of the defunct Nigeria Airways, Mr. Chris Aligbe, insisted that concessioning would have been better for redeveloping the terminal.

According to him, the N712 billion can be better invested in other areas, while the concessionaire rebuilds the terminal to world class standards.

He said: ?In concessioning, you are not using your money. The concessionaire uses his money and there will be an agreement on the years and other terms.

?A well-prepared concession will be good for us because the money that we intend to use for this project, no matter where it is coming from, can be invested in other areas. That is how the aviation industry is being run. With concession, there is technical competence.

?It will be sad that after investing such huge funds, government employs management concessions. My advice to government is that it ensures that while rebuilding the terminal, enough investment is made in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to train technical people to learn from those managing the airports from which the concept will be taken.

?Even at that, I believe that to have money for building a world class airport, concession is the way forward, not direct investment.?

On his part, former commandant of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu, rtd., said: ?There was Concession, Prioritisation and Commercialisation Act of 2000. It brought Bi-Courntey, which cannot be compared to any domestic terminal in Nigeria today. What is government?s reason for not concessioning passenger terminals?

?Anything that is non-aeronautical is not the business of government. It is a waste. Government?s obligation is to ensure safety and security for the airports. How much have we put into the airport?s safety and security?? (Vanguard)

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