The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has rejected a contract variation of N532 billion for the construction of the second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Keyamo deemed the variation “outrageous” and “fraudulent,” as it exceeded the original contract sum of N90 billion by a staggering N442 billion.
The contractor, who received N30 billion of the initial N90 billion contract sum, had abandoned the site after compensating some settlers on the affected land. All efforts to get the contractor back to the site were unsuccessful due to the unacceptable contract variation demands.
Keyamo emphasized that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development will not tolerate such fraudulent practices and has therefore revoked the contract. The project will be re-tendered, allowing fresh bidding from interested contractors.
In a related development, the Minister addressed concerns about the N36 billion owed to workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways. Keyamo explained that the payment has been shifted to the Ministry of Finance, as it is not a capital project expense. He assured that the affected pensioners will receive their dues from the Ministry of Finance.
Keyamo also presented the Ministry’s 2025 budgetary proposal, totaling N71.13 billion, with N69.2 billion allocated for capital projects, N1.147 billion for personnel costs, and N745.7 million for overheads. However, the joint committee requested more detailed information on the status of 124 ongoing projects before approving the budget proposal.
The Minister’s stance on the contract variation has been commended, and the decision to re-tender the project is seen as a positive step towards transparency and accountability in the aviation sector ¹.
