Buhari Shows Concern Over Debt In Aviation Sector ,Says FG Has To Do Something Quickly

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern over the enormous debt profile of Nigeria’s aviation sector, saying that his administration will act quickly to redress the situation.

“I am concerned about the enormous debt profile in the aviation sector. The Federal Government has to do something quickly because safety, security and international respectability are involved here,” he said after receiving a briefing from officials of

the Aviation Ministry, led by the Permanent Secretary, Binta Bello.

He further directed that counterpart funding for the upgrading of the international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, should be captured in the 2016 budget.

“Our airports are the windows through which people see our country. Anybody coming into the country will likely come through the airports.

“If we cannot secure and maintain our infrastructure, it will reflect very badly on us,” he said.

The President also directed the Ministry to speed up all processes and projects relating to the safety and security of Nigeria’s air transport system.

Speaking earlier, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Bello told the President that the five new International Airport Terminal Buildings were designed to meet the best international standards.

According to her, the four international terminals would be completely by the fourth quarter of 2016.

She stated that they have the capacity of taking care of 62 million passengers annually.

Specifically, Lagos will move from 7 million passengers’ capacity to 25 million, Abuja moving from 5 million to 16 million, while Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, will have the capacity for 7 million passengers each.