Management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services (BASL) managers of Murtala Muhammed Domestic Terminal Two (MMA2), Lagos has said the Federal Government should had given it the right of first refusal before seeking foreign expertise as the national continues with the process to concession four of its international airports.
The remark was made today by the Chairman Resorts Services Limited, the parent company of BASL, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) during an interactive session aviation journalists at the regional departure hall of the MMA2 terminal.
Babalakin who argued that with 14 years of BASL successsful management of MMA2 terminal, and every cent sourced by the company, submitted that BASL has the experience and resources to manage any airport terminal on concession in the country.
The Chairman of Resorts Group who believed that Nigeria should considered her own people who have successfully demonstrated the capacity to manage such a project said, there is no reason looking for foreign expertise when they are in abundant supply in the country: ” We have to realise that it is better to invest in proven track records and support them especially when they are your own people.
“There is a bid going on in the country for the concession of Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt Airports in every well organized country; what would happen is that the authorities would call on those who have done it well and say we are going to give you the first option because you have demonstrated capacity. You don’t need to bring technical expertise from abroad you have them in Nigeria tested for 14 years,” Babalakin remarked.
On whether his company is interested in the ongoing bid for the concession of four Airports in Nigeria despite the unresolved issues on its existing concession agreement with Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), the erudite lawyer said the company is very much concerned with anything that has to do with infrastructural development, because that is where his interest lies.
“BASL is interested in anything that is intelligent infrastructure development. I have heard people saying are you a business man? I am not a business man, I am a lawyer and an infrastructure developer. I don’t trade, I don’t import and export. What is my interest? Infrastructure development and that’s where you find me.
“So we are interested but we are more interested in the process leading to the emergence and we believe that we are entitled to be first option. In any very organized country, we would be given the first option,” he said.
