THE Federal Government, has stated that the Federal Ministry of Aviation has been renamed to be: the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace.
Senator Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, made the statement today in Abuja shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Sirika stated that the change became necessary because it was on the exclusive list.
He argued that the future of aviation had advanced to the point where aviation and aerospace were linked, and that Nigeria needed to proactively develop policies to line with future events.
The development, according to the minister, is tied to the founding of the African Aerospace and Aviation University in Abuja.
The council also authorized the concessioning of Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Kano’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Sirika further stated that the Abuja airport would be granted a 20-year concession, while the Kano airport would be granted a 30-year concession.
In a related event, the FEC approved the reinstatement of on-street parking in the nation’s capital, widely known as Park and Pay.
The declaration was made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who indicated that the FCT minister had been pursuing a modification to the legislation and had thus received ratification of the memo in issue.
He reminded the public that on-street parking had been suspended since 2012 due to a court order deeming it unconstitutional, but that with the current approval, it would be reinstated immediately.
The minister of information also stated that the Second Niger Bridge would be ready for commissioning on May 20, nine days before the official handover.
Previously, the FEC approved $4.7 billion for the building of the Ondo Multi-Purpose Port in Ilaje, as well as Snake Island in Lagos and Burutu in Delta State.
Prince Ademola Adegoroye, Minister of State for Transportation, told State House Correspondents that the projects would be carried out through a public-private partnership model at no expense to the Federal Government.
He said the Ondo port would cost the private developers the sum of $1.48 billion and would be concessioned for a period of 50 years with the accruals to the concessionaire and the Federal Government expected to be $50 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively.
