Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos Terminal Two (MMA2) in Ikeja, has described the allegation by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, on Thursday that BASL owed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) the sum of N13 billion as “untrue,” saying it “does not owe the agency any amount at all.”
Sirika, at a ministerial press briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, alleged that BASL owed the FAAN about N14 billion.
However, BASL’s spokesman, Mikail Mumuni, in a statement, said, “On the contrary, it is FAAN that owes Bi-Courtney over N200 billion by depriving it of its legitimate earnings over the past 14 years.”
This, he said, arose by FAAN opening and operating the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), thus competing with BASL with government money in the running of the Domestic Terminal in a flagrant breach of the concession agreement.
“BASL in line with the dispute resolution process contained in the agreement had an arbitration award in its favour. It also got the judgement of a High Court, six Court of Appeal judgements and a Supreme Court judgement, all in its favour and sustained the monetary award.
“The N14 billion debt mentioned by the minister is totally inconsistent with the demand by FAAN, the body which has been liaising with BASL. Their last demand was about N1 billion which was promptly responded to by BASL stating categorically that there was no such debt.
“We believe that the Minister was not properly briefed by FAAN as we also pay our electricity bills as and when due. We equally provide elaborate security at the Terminal which has continued to attract commendation from stakeholders.”
The minister said concerning debtors in the industry that, “It is about N37 billion that they owe, especially, Arik, the culprit. I know they owe us about N14 billion. If you owe the government, you owe FAAN; the Bi-Courtney owes about N14 billion as at the last count.
According to him, referring to Bi-Courtney, “It has not paid a single dime since the time he started to run the terminal building, and we have not ceased giving him electricity, water, fire cover, and so on and so forth.”
