The Federal Executive Council approved plans on Friday, 14 January 2022, to concession Nigeria's four busiest international airports — Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, and Port Harcourt International Airport — to private operators under long-term agreements.
Aviation minister Hadi Sirika said the concessions were intended to attract private capital for terminal upgrades and modern airport management practices, with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria retaining ownership of the underlying assets while operators run day-to-day services.
Union Pushback
Aviation unions, including the National Union of Air Transport Employees, said they had not been adequately consulted and warned of potential job losses under private management, threatening industrial action if the process moved forward without worker protections written into the agreements.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission said a transaction adviser would be appointed in the coming months to structure the bidding process, with the government targeting financial close on at least one of the four airports before the end of the year.
