Ripples trail N39bn Asaba Airport runway re-construction
.Govt. justifies expended funds, flays wagging tongues
The spending of N39 billion by the Delta State Government on various contractors handling the Asaba Airport Runway reconstruction project in currently generating ripples across the state.
Just within the last few weeks, various groups who claimed to be “groups for good governance”, one of such, Delta group for good governance” headed by one Victor Obiorah in a release he signed and a copy made available to our reporter, chided the state government alleged profligacy, stating that the N39 billion spent on various contractors
handling the Asaba Airport runway portended “Conduit pipe” and may not achieve desired results.
Part of his statement reads: “We as a group for good governance has observed with dismay a whopping sum of N39 billion spent on Asaba Airport Runway Reconstruction. It is clearly absurdity and waste of the state’s resources on a project without headway, we view as a ‘Conduit Pipe’ initiated by the state government to milk the state dry via inexperienced contractors who will be enriching their pockets.”
Also, the state chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr. Oke Idawene, described the N39 billion as “total fraud” for reconstruction of Asaba runway, adding that Okowa-led administration had allegedly misled Deltans.
His words: “How long shall Delta State be swimming in the dark, N39 billion for reconstruction of Asaba Airport runway. It shows maladministration, outright fraud, incompetence. The Asaba Airport is currently a ‘Condiut Pipe’ for the government which claimed no fund to divert the state fund.”
Expectedly, the Asaba Airport built by former Governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, was awarded to a construction company, ULO Consultants, who claimed to have done its best, and since then the cost had escalated from N6.4 billion initially to now N39 billion.
But Professor Sylvester Monye, Senior Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, in a swift reaction, said:
“The Asaba International Airport is the most beautiful airport in Nigeria today. There are 22 state airports and some six federal airports – Lagos Murtala Mohammed, Kano International, Port-Harcourt International, Enugu International Airport and Kaduna Airport,” adding that in terms of design, scope and quality, Asaba International
The airport is the best, especially with a master plan.
Prof. Monye, who spoke to our reporter on Tuesday, explained that the initial concept of the Asaba Airport was to cash in on tremendous business ventures in the largest inland market in Onitsha and Nnewi axis of the South East.
His words: “So far, the Delta State Government has spent N39 billion on the various contractors doing some specialised jobs on the runway with CCC Contractors and Levanter as part of the ongoing airport. When Okowa government came on stream, he wanted to know what could be made out of the Asaba Airport without the state spending more money on it except there must be a commercial angle to the airports.”
An investigation by The Daily Times revealed that for ‘strange reasons’ Africa Financial Corporation (AFC) had shown deep interest in being part of making the Asaba International Airport be sustainable as an ongoing lucrative project that would outlive any administration and bring prosperity to the people of Delta State.
Concession of the Asaba International Airport is the magic formula for the way forward and the spin-off from the participating investors would turn the airport into a “big cash cow”.
Prof. Monye further encapsulates this new idea as “Aerotropolis” which will provide additional areas for more profitable business within the new airport city, and flayed tongues wagging over the state government successes with a view to making sure the Airport bounces back in business.
“It is estimated that at the end of the day, when the airport comes on stream, it is believed that some additional fund of N45 billion would still be needed to upgrade all the systems to conform to the international standard,” he added.
