[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]There were indications this morning that President Umaru Yar’Adua , will not heed the call by some aviation workers to reverse the decision to hand over the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) to Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, builders and operators of the ultra-modern Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2).

A source in Abuja told P.M.News on telephone this morning that the President has reaffirmed that he will respect the concession agreement as directed in a meeting he chaired on 7 July with Bi-Courtney, the Ministry of Aviation and aviation union leaders.

The decision, if confirmed, will be a setback to Arik Air, one of the biggest airlines in the country that has vowed never ‘under any circumstances’ to operate in any terminal building managed by Bi-Courtney, a company owned by 47-year old business mogul, Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN.

After a brief protest last week by some aviation workers against the hand over of the decaying infrastructure to Bi-Courtney, a meeting was held in Abuja with the presidency. At the end of the meeting, all parties agreed to maintain a status quo until the President returns from Saudi Arabia.

Speaking with P.M.News this morning from Abuja on the development, Bi-Courtney’s Head of Corporate Communication, Mr. Olugbenga Odugbesan disclosed that the reconstruction exercise will soon commence. He did not give a time frame but said that FAAN will now take adequate steps for the final handover.

“We will sit with FAAN for them to approve the design, the time frame for the reconstruction, and other details,” he said.

Odugbesan further disclosed that Babalakin was in high spirits despite threats by activists that his life was in danger.

“They said they will kill Babalakin. They went on Channel TV and were threatening Babalakin. But Babalakin has not gone under. As I am speaking to you now, he is here in Abuja, he is fine. He is also a Nigerian. He is ready to develop the aviation industry in the country and put an end to sharp practices in the sector. Those who are protesting have been benefiting for years from the chaos and corruption at the airports. Don’t forget that the terminal will still be handed over to the Federal government,” Odugbesan said.

In a press statement yesterday, Bi-Courtney said that immediate reconstruction and facility upgrade are to commence GAT.

“Bi-Courtney’s focus is to enhance facilities and services at the GAT to complement what is at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) so as to accommodate the growing number of domestic air travellers and the increasing fleet of airlines.

“The concession agreement puts the sole responsibility for scheduled domestic terminal services on Bi-Courtney. We are not unaware of this. So, the GAT will only strengthen our repositioning efforts to deliver on our contractual obligations,” Odugbesan stated.

He said with the hand over of GAT to Bi-Courtney, the concessionaire had not gone beyond its mandate and that the company was reaching out to all stakeholders for their support and understanding to transform the face of aviation infrastructure in Nigeria.

Section 2.2 of the agreement vests exclusive responsibility for scheduled domestic terminal operations on Bi-Courtney but the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has continued to run parallel services at the GAT leading to a huge revenue loss to the concessionaire.

FAAN had argued that its action was to address the limited apron space at MMA2 managed by Bi-Courtney, an excuse that has been proven wrong. 



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since the argument is much , the government should keep the GAT terminal now , instead of threatening Babalakin. is a fellow nigerian too u knw .