Closure of Abuja Airport: Gov Bello makes case for Minna

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, yesterday met with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and called for the upgrade of the Minna Airport, following the impending temporary closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for runway repairs on March 8.

He also urged the Senate to intervene and ensure the completion of abandoned projects at the Minna Airport. He said the Minna airport could be used as a backup to the Kaduna airport when the Abuja airport is closed 8.

Bello said the equipment and materials required were already on ground to beat the March deadline before the closure of Abuja airport, adding that with the arrangement, airlines would have an option.

He said the Kaduna airport had no capacity to handle the expected high volume of traffic as a result of the flight diversions.

The runway at the Minna Airport, according to him, is longer than that of Kaduna, and suggested that the two airports should be designated for the diversions, to avoid national embarrassment.

The governor further sought the support of the senate on the completion of the dualization of the Suleja-Minna road and the Boro Port.

Saraki lamented the abandonment of critical infrastructure after investing huge amounts of money on them. He said the action had resulted in wastes and left the country with little options in critical times. He noted that the non-completion of re-modeling projects at the Minna airport had left the federal government with no option or backup to the diversion of flights to Kaduna to allow for the rehabilitation of airport in Abuja.

“It makes a lot of sense to have an option. It is the lack of option that brought us where we are that we cannot make a good choice,” he said.

Saraki, who disclosed that no provision was made in either the 2016 or 2017 budget for the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport runway, said, “One wonders how such decisions are arrived at.”