Stories by Gboyega Adeoye, Correspondent, Lagos

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called for more Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the aviation industry to overcome the infrastructure decay that has plagued the sector for nearly four decades.

"As a matter of government conscious policy, private sector participation in infrastructure development should be encouraged, particularly in the areas of terminal buildings, maintenance of hangars, catering services, hotels and car parks," NCAA Director General, Dr. Harold Demuren, said at the just concluded two-day workshop on Aviation Security and Safety in Abuja.

He lamented that aviation infrastructure in the country had not kept up with the growth in the industry, and was inadequate to provide safe environment for the operations of new aircraft.

He said, "On the landside, most of the terminal buildings require a face-lift and development of modern functional buildings with state-of-the-art technology.

"On the airside, most of our apron spaces are congested or grossly inadequate; deteriorating and undulating aprons, runways and taxiways.

"On the while, safety support services are all stretched to their limits. Most of the runways at Nigeria's airports have outlived their design life."

Demuren however singled out the new Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two as a modern terminal with contemporary facilities.

"Apart from the Federal Government-owned Abuja terminal building and the MMA2, which is a private initiative, all other airports including Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, are 1970s architecture."

The NCAA boss noted that due to the huge capital required for aviation infrastructure, the government alone could not be relied on for any meaningful development in the sector.

According to him, the PPP option "must be encouraged and the private sector given the opportunity to participate" in line with the principle of "equal opportunity, free enterprise and competitive markets".