Stamp of commendation

the Asaba International Airport. For instance, they took pains to interrogate the team of guides from the relevant ministries and construction firm on strength or capacities of the 3.4km by 60m (width) ‘Class IV Runaway’ with a 45m middle section and the improved taxiways. They sought explanation about plans to evacuate all water to be drained into the extended 20-metre culvert, which opens into a natural valley on the west end of the airport and which route is expected to be dredged in future. They asked apparently informed questions about the category of contemporary fire-fighting machines and general functionality of the fire service station, in terms of number and sophistication of fire fighting vehicles and emergency response capacity.

They probed about the categories of aircraft that would ultimately come into Asaba when the upgrade was completed and the structure of the expected additional cargo handling wing as well as the possibility of building modern hangars in the airport. They asked questions on the perimeter fencing and wading off any form of encroachment by trespassers and land speculators, while electing to directly step in where youths are reported to be fomenting trouble around the airport or any government project site.

Moreover, the Asagba-in Council made suggestions on further lowering of the surrounding hills to acceptable levels just as it recommended the modification of the watchtower with an additional storey, from the three-storey structure that was put up by ULO Consultants for enhanced aircraft actual flight management beside the traditional Control tower.

The state government officials were optimistic that the NCAA “restriction order will be lifted by the time the (upgrade) work is done” so that Boeing 737 capacity aircraft could land and takeoff from Asaba International Airport. The two denser layers of tarmac (40mm and 90mm), ranging between 99mm-200mm reinforcement is expected to correct the lack of “slope constancy” or undulation on which the ULO earlier remedial work was faulted, the technicians and managers explained. Only Lagos and Abuja international airports can accommodate the largest aircraft (Boeing 747) that fly into Nigeria today.

Speaking at the end of the inspection visit, the leader of the royal delegation and renowned engineer, Obi Godfrey Konwea, told newsmen that “His Majesty, the Asagba who is currently on medical vacation in the USA, asked us to inspect the airport. We have seen the massive work going on, we are happy with what we have seen. This is wonderful! We are hungry to start using the airport.”

While thanking Okowa for the impressive airport project, he stated that Governor Okowa has justified the financial receipts since the inception of his administration even though the funds were relatively less than what his predecessors received within the same period. Nevertheless, asked whether they would sanction the contractor, who is also an illustrious son of Asaba Kingdom, if he was found to have underperformed on the upgrading of the airport, the royal chiefs said that they would intervene appropriately to ensure that the matter did not generate unnecessary bad blood. While noting that the Asagba-in-Council was yet to receive any information of failure or a formal complaint, they stressed that Obi Edozien desired peace and real development in the state rather than embark on witch-hunting anybody.

Okowa on original contract termination

Earlier, while fielding questions from newsmen at the Government House Asaba, Okowa explained how he had to put aside personal friendship with the chief executive officer of the contracting firm to ensure that the completion of the upgrading project was no longer a subject of conjecture. He disclosed that the contractor was literally nudged into throwing in the towel. Although, the ULO Consultants reportedly gave several reasons why the company had to hands off the project, Okowa told journalists that the state government actually prompted the contractor’s action by giving the company a ‘Yellow Card’ in October 2017 when it became increasingly clear they would not deliver the project.

The governor did not mince words: “I don’t care if I step on any toes. Unfortunately, his work remained very slow despite the pressure we put on him, and having paid fully the 50 per cent mobilisation agreed with the previous administration.”

On why the government decided to so pressure ULO, which undertook the actual construction of the airport and was initially awarded the contract for the Asaba Airport upgrade involving six aspects, the governor said: “Funding was not the issue; and, I regularly went to the airport simply to ensure that the project was delivered in good time and for us to have about the best airport in the country. But the pace of work remained very slow in spite of the pressure we put on the contractor to complete the project according to schedule.”

It is noteworthy that the views of the governor and those of the company’s chief executive, Chief Uche Okpuno, on the importance of safety and security aspects of the airport were harmonious and in tandem with the specifications of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. “Getting it right is very important,” Okowa had noted during one of his visits to the facility in January, 2017. “Airport is not about the structure but about the runway; and, we believe that when completed, the airport will be among the best in the country based on standard. It is not about the speed but getting it right, because if you get the slope or gradient right in the first segment, you will get it right in the second and third segments.”

Similarly, Okpuno noted that “a solid runaway and not the beautiful buildings” was what makes a good, functional airport. He had at that time (January, 2017) assured the governor that work to re-jig the first segment (900 metres) of the runway would be completed within two weeks. He revealed also then that civil work on the Instrument Landing System (ILS) had been completed while installation was ongoing. The equipment would greatly improve safety of the airport as it will reduce visibility problem to the barest minimum and allow aircraft to land and take off even in foggy weather,” he said.

At the beginning of this piece, the social and economic benefits of an airport within a locality were highlighted. Indeed, a functional airport is a virtual tonic as it stimulates the local economy with ripple effect. It is, therefore, noteworthy that the barrage of questions from the Asaba chiefs included what plans the state government has to improve the network of roads in and around Asaba in anticipation of the increased volume of social economic activities, including commerce and tourism, which the facility is bound to boost in future.

In response, the Information Commissioner, Ukah, assured the delegation that the Okowa administration was passionate about infrastructure development, particularly roads, drainage systems and general urban renewal in the state capital and other major centres across the state. It is in this context that the chiefs’ submission about their impression of the Asaba airport upgrading vis-à-vis the performance of the Okowa administration should be appreciated. The Asagba-in-Council said, “That Asaba people are peaceful and patience does not mean that we are weak. We have witnessed three democratically elected governors in our state (since 2019), this administration has not received half of the money others received but he (Okowa) has done very well. From what we have seen, we the entire Asaba people and those residing in Asaba are grateful to Governor Okowa; we ask him to prepare for, possibly, a third term in office.”