Aviation expert, Chris Aligbe, has faulted moves by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to concession access gate services at the airports.

Aligbe, who is the Managing Director of Belujane Konzult, in an interview with The Guardian, insisted that such decisions fall outside the ministry’s authority.

Aligbe, who spoke on the controversy surrounding the Lagos airport access gate, maintained that what was proposed by the minister was not an infrastructure concession, but a service arrangement, which should be handled solely by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

According to him, there is a clear distinction between airport infrastructure and services, stressing that only infrastructure falls within the purview of government concessioning, while services are within the jurisdiction of the agencies in charge.

He declared that modern airports have shifted from reliance on aeronautical revenue to non-aeronautical revenue streams, including services such as access control, parking and retail operations.

He noted that the current management in FAAN, led by its Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, had begun to increase earnings from non-aeronautical sources, raising them from about 20 per cent to over 30 per cent in the last two years.

He said: “FAAN does not own the airport; it’s just a manager. The government owns the airport and that was why the government could concession Enugu Airport. It’s an infrastructure. The airport is an infrastructure; it’s subject to infrastructure concessioning. It is not the business of FAAN. It is the business of government. Let’s separate this thing.

“Services at the airport are the business of FAAN, but infrastructure concessioning is the business of a higher authority. That is where the ministry and the board can step in and play a role. The government is not concessioning the tollgate as it were; it is concessioning service. Make a difference between the infrastructure and the service it’s providing.”

The Belujane Konzult boss argued that access gate operations should be handled through service level agreements (SLAs) rather than concessions.

He insisted that FAAN would make more money managing the service itself under an SLA than handing it over to a concessionaire.

Aligbe recommended the adoption of automated, cashless entry systems, stressing that such systems eliminate human interference and improve transparency.

Besides, he criticised the rollout of the cashless system at Lagos airport, saying it is poorly implemented and advised FAAN management to adopt a pilot scheme in two or three airports before taking such major action across the country.

On revenue potential, Aligbe cited the example of the Asaba Airport gate, where daily earnings reportedly rose from about N10,000/N15,000 to N75,000 after concessioning.
He, however, maintained that automation, not concession, is the key to plugging loopholes in the system.

Aligbe also blamed recurring crises in the aviation sector on policy inconsistencies and excessive ministerial interference.
He pointed to the role of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), noting that its involvement was only necessary for infrastructure concessions, not service agreements.

He further cautioned that labour unions in the sector had a history of resisting concession arrangements, citing past disputes involving private operators such as I-CUBE West Africa Maevis Nigeria Ltd, which were dislodged from their various revenue points by the unions and in connivance with the management.

He warned that similar resistance could arise if access gate services are concessioned by the minister.