The story of Kebbi’s multiple airstrips
Kebbi is one of the states in the country with a history of airstrips. Previously, there were three airstrips at different areas of the state. The one at Ambursa in Birnin Kebbi was constructed during the Senator Adamu Aliero administration. It was the airstrip the former governor used for chartered flights on many of his engagements outside the state throughout his eight-year tenure.
The airstrip had served many of the elite in Kebbi State. It was where they usually landed whenever they came into the state on charted flights from Abuja and other parts of the country. Some government officials from the state and at the federal level sometimes, particularly during state functions, jetted in and out of the state through the Ambursa airstrip.
Because of his numerous travels out of Kebbi State, a former governor, Saidu Usman Dakingari, paid much attention to the maintenance of the airstrip during his tenure. At some intervals, his administration carried out some repairs to keep it safe for aircraft landing for him, other elites and government officials.
During his second term, Dakingari upgraded the airstrip to the status of an airport, known as Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport. The sum of N18 billion was spent to upgrade the airstrip. The project is now generating crisis between the former governor, contractors and the state House of Assembly.
Last month, the legislators gave the immediate past governor up to three weeks to appear before it to explain his role on the N6.4 bn allegedly inflated on the N18 bn contracts. The House also ordered the six contractors that handled the construction of the airport to refund the N6.4bn.
The House had set up a special investigation committee on the contracts awarded to upgrade the airport on March 30, 2017, under the chairmanship of the deputy speaker, Alhaji Muhammad Buhari Aliero and 12 other members.
During a press briefing by the chairman, House Committee on Information, Saliu M. Dangoje, he said, “To ascertain the amount of money expended on the upgrade of the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, the committee was guided by the payment made by the Ministry of Finance. It included ancillary and consultancy contracts relating thereto, and special imprest released to the airport in 2014, which stands at N18,792,501,817.50 between 2012 and 2015.’’
The committee stated that the contract for the extension of runway, apron, taxiway and road network was awarded to CGC Big Limited at the contract sum of N9,390,355,427.67 but reviewed to N10,615,735,704.59.
Two other airstrips are located at Zuru and Tuga respectively in the Bagudo area of the State. The one along Zuru/ Ribah road was constructed by the late Major General Tanko Ayuba in the 1980s.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, Malam El-Yakubu Dabai, a native of Zuru said, “Ayuba personally constructed that airstrip you see today at Zuru. At that time, he felt that Zuru was growing, so to attract more development to the area, he constructed the airstrip and the Federal Technical College.” According to him, though built many years ago, the airstrip is still very strong and serving its purpose.
“Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah is the only aircraft owner in Zuru. Most times his private jet lands at the airstrip. Also, other retired Generals from the area sometimes land there in chartered aircraft. During political campaigns, celebration of the Uhola festival and other occasions, dignitaries from other parts of the country, particularly party officials, governors and government officials, also use the Zuru airstrip.
“When former President Olusegun Obasanjo made an official visit to Kebbi State in 2001 after his visit to Yauri, he left for Sokoto through the airstrip at Zuru,” Malam Dabai said.
Shehu Ribah, a farmer along Zuru/Ribah road, told our correspondent that he had seen important personalities airlifted out of Zuru on a number of occasions. “I have seen governors, senators, ministers, royal fathers and other personalities being airlifted from here. Whoever is behind the airstrip in Zuru deserves to be commended by our people because he has done us proud,” he said.
The Tuga airstrip at Bagudo was constructed 32 years ago by Julius Berger during the construction of the River Niger bridge at the valley area of Bagudo in Kebbi State. The River Niger valley is estimated to be about 12,600 square kilometres. Its upland and lowland areas are said to be 120,000 hectares of irrigable land along the flood plain. It stretches from Gendene, Kwalla and Yuna areas of Bagudo, Yelwa, Kamba, the border town between Nigeria, Niger Republic and the Ngaski area of the state.
Speaking on the history of the airstrip, Alhaji Umar Dodo Aliero, an agricultural project coordinator in the area said, “The bridge over the River Niger at Tuga was constructed in 1985 during the General Ibrahim Babangida regime. This area is very close to the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
“At that time, the Nigerian government discovered that our neighbours around this area were encroaching on Nigeria’s territory because of the fertility of the Niger valley area and other things we have. So they decided to build this bridge to protect our natural resources. With the bridge, this area was clearly demarcated.
“It was when they were constructing the bridge that they also built the airstrip at Tuga. That was where the engineers and other officials of Julius Berger usually landed throughout the period of the construction work.’’
At the completion of the bridge, Julius Berger handed over the massive construction site and the airstrip at Tuga to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). But 32 years after, it is still lying waste. Recently, however, the Comptroller General of the NIS, Muhammed Babandede embarked on a two-day inspection visit to the site and the airstrip. During the visit, he said the NIS had decided to take advantage of the facilities left behind by the construction company at Tuga. He said the NIS was proposing to establish an international border management academy at the site.
He said, “A team of experts will soon be at the site to assess what is on ground for the Service to make the next move and submit its budget on the academy to the government.”
The NIS boss maintained that he specifically came to Tuga to inspect the construction site and the airstrip. “It was given to the Nigeria Immigration Service by Julius Berger 32 years ago. We intend to convert it into a border training institution. The structure has been vandalised, but the interesting thing is that the main structure still remains solid,” he said.
On the importance of its geographic location to the country because it borders two countries - Benin Republic and Niger, Babandede said, “My vision is to turn the place to a regional border management institute. I want to see an institution where French and English languages are spoken and our border patrol offices across the country can come around for training.”