Abuja (Precise Post) – Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, yesterday in Abuja announced that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, would be completed by April 2020.
The minister made this known at the National Assembly complex while fielding questions from journalists shortly after the defence of the ministry’s budget before the Senate Committee on Aviation.
Precise Post recalls that. President Muhammadu Buhari had on October 17, approved the release of N10 billion special intervention fund for repairs and upgrade of the airport, which was temporarily shut down on August 24, for repairs.
The President said he was aware of the pivotal importance of the airport to the socio-economic development of the South-East and the nation in general.
Sirika, who said money had been approved by Buhari for the rehabilitation of the airport, said the ministry was waiting for the release of the fund, assuring them that it would be released soon.
“We are meeting with the contractor handling the project. He will give us his programme of work; we will look at that programme of work diligently and ensure it is procured within the time and within the budget. And the time for the procurement certainly will be before Easter,” he said.
Commenting on government’s efforts towards the safety of the nation’s air transport, the minister said the ministry was doing its best to ensure a reduction in air crashes.
“One of those things we do is first to put all those things in place that will ensure safe operations.
“We also ensure the training and retraining of our personnel, train and retrain those who man the airplanes, to regulate them, to ensure they are doing the right thing and at the right time and that they are so proficient enough to be able to handle the operations safely.
“All of those safety and security critical items within the system of aviation are our concern. And we have emphasised and reemphasised and improved upon those things that will make and ensure safe flight and operations.
“That is why you see all the might and weight and budget and purse of the Civil Aviation Ministry is geared toward all those critical items that ensure safe operations are been dealt with,” Sirika said.
On the national carrier project, the minister said the plan would soon be realised.
“Of course I have been consistent on this issue of national carrier; it is coming very soon. We have finished the outline business case, which had been duly considered by Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and passed.
“They are back to us now and we have set up a committee as required by law and by the programme and we will go to the market very soon and once we are in the market, we will procure,” he said.
Earlier, while defending the budget, Sirika said airports in the country were wearing new looks befitting modem airports.
“In fact, two of the new terminals, Port Harcourt and Abuja, constructed by CCECC, which were commissioned last year, are already in full operation while Lagos and Kano would in a short while follow suit.”
He said for 2020, budget estimate in the ministry had proposed N41.8 billion for capital expenditure.
In his remarks, Acting Chairman of the committee, Senator Bala Na’Allah said that; “I have seen the challenges for the new airport in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
“How did we get involved in this multi-billion dollar project without first sitting down to look at all these issues for concession before the construction the projects. We must begin to avoid the challenges by putting round pegs in round holes.
