Lawmakers urge private hangars retention at MMIA new terminal
NNOLIM NNAJI, CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OF REPRESENTA TIVES COMMITTEE ON AVIATION, has advised against the planned demolition of private hangars obstructing some of the boarding fingers at the new terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Lagos.
Nnaji gave the advice at the weekend during a joint oversight inspection tour of the airport by the Senate and House of Representatives committees on Aviation. He regretted that the obstruction was not taken note of during the initial construction of the new terminal noting that rather than spend billions of taxpayers’ money on compensation,” FAAN can restrict the use of the affected fingers to narrow bodied aircraft and deploy the money that would go for compensation to the owners of the facilities to the building of additional terminal.” Smart Adeyemi, Nnaji’s counterpart in the senate, speaking in support urged Hamisu Yadudu, managing director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), to submit the cost of demolition and compensation due to the owners of the hangars to the two committees for consideration before going ahead to demolish them. “We are the representatives of the people and we must be sure that the resources of the country are not unduly wasted. We must weigh the options and if the amount to be paid out as compensation does not make sound economic judgement we will not allow it,” Senator Adeyemi further stated.