The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has appealed to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Bi-Courtney Aviation Services to reconcile to ensure seamless operations at the Lagos domestic airport.
The Acting Director-General of ICRC, Chidi Izuwah, made the appeal during a monitoring visit to the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA 2) and the Hotel and Conference Centre concession projects on Monday in Lagos.
According to him, the appeal was necessary based on instances where the parties have had to approach the judiciary for settlement of disputes, arising as a result of the implementation of the projects.
“We want you to embrace a peaceful and amicable settlement of whatever dispute that exists on these projects.
“We are aware of your pains, especially considering the financial risk you had both assumed on this project and we are more ready to give our support toward seeking an out-of-court settlement that will be beneficial to you,” Izuwah said.
He said the MMA 2 and the Hotel and Conference Centre concessions were two projects that were particularly dear to the Federal Government.
He added that, “The projects, no doubt, have had their fair share of challenges which the commission is not unaware of.
“We have therefore continued to engage the Minister of Aviation on these challenges and believe they will be resolved soon enough in order to strengthen the relationship between the parties,” he said.
It will be recalled that the MMA 2 concession was awarded to Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd., as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project, during the Obasanjo administration.
It was awarded for the design, engineering, procurement, construction, completion, commissioning, operation and transfer of a new domestic terminal at the Murtala Mohammed Airport on a build-operate-and-transfer term.
Izuwah said the ICRC was in Lagos to listen to both parties, physically assess the situation and challenges on the ground, in order to better appreciate their positions on the projects and thereafter suggest possible line of action in resolving the issues.
He urged the parties to accept the commission’s advice, as well as implement its recommendations in resolving disputes.
Earlier, the two parties traded blames.
The Chairman of Bi-Courtney,Wale Babalakin raised issues concerning the General Aviation Terminal, the misconception about the hotel and MMA 2 concessioning.
“The issue is beyond the MMA 2. Do we want concessioning or not? Do we want private participation or not? Are we going to comply with international standards, that is, honouring agreements that had been signed?, he demanded.
“Once these questions are answered, then the MMA 2 has no issue.”
Also, the FAAN Deputy General Manager on PPP, Monica Alphonse raise issues on refusal of Bi-Courtney to remit five per cent of its total earnings to FAAN and breach of contract on the hotel project.
