Panic In Bi-Courtney Over Planned Takeover Of MMA2 On May 7

Tussle between the management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), Lagos and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) may resume soon with the planned takeover of the terminal by FAAN.

A source close to the Ministry of Transport, Aviation Unit, told SaharaReporters over the weekend that the ministry had given the management of FAAN the approval to take over the terminal on the expiration of the 12 years consensual agreement between BASL and the agency.

It was learnt that the 12 years would elapse on May 7, 2019, which was the exact date the terminal commenced operations with flight service by the rested Chanchangi Airlines from the terminal.

Our correspondent gathered that the planned takeover of the terminal is also causing some instability among the staff of BASL, who are already looking elsewhere for alternative jobs in case the threat by the government comes to fruition.

It was, however, learnt that Wale Babalakin, the Chairman of BASL, is also making frantic efforts through some of his contacts in the presidency to frustrate the takeover of the terminal on the due date, claiming that the concession agreement between the two was for 36 years, but FAAN is adamant to take possession of the terminal as spelt out in the agreement by May 7.

Our correspondent learnt that while Femi Fani-Kayode, the former Minister of Aviation, proposed a 36-year tenure to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the latter refused to approve it and referred Fani-Kayode to the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) through his comment on the proposal.

It was gathered that the only document that mentioned 36 years was a ‘Letter of Offer’ signed by a director in FAAN, when Fani-Kayode was still a minister in the sector, but was turned down by Obasanjo