Senate tasks Aviation Ministry on airports repair
The Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Aviation and other relevant authorities to, as a matter of urgency, repair and renovate the damaged facilities of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and other airports in the country requiring such attention to reduce the dangers of harm to which users of the airports are exposed.
The charge followed a motion during Plenary on Wednesday, sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North) on the need for urgent renovation of the facilities and infrastructure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
The Senate, while debating on the motion observed that the Airport was upgraded to the status of international airport on August 24, 2013, noting that the upgrade of Airport was a fulfillment of the dreams of the people of the south east of Nigeria who are famed enterprenuers and have long clamoured for direct flights to the world where they engage in myriad of commercial activities in order to cut costs associated with logistics and distance.
It noted that as an international airport, Akanu Ibiam being a gateway for an important part of Nigeria, asides the technical requirements for the upgrade to its present status by the extension, asphalting, marking and standardization of the runways accommodate bigger aircraft, there was also the requirements for improved facilities and a face lift of infrastructure.
The lawmakers also expressed of damages caused by wndstorms at the airport, including the arrival and departure lounges and protective sheen of the buildings, with debris and windblown garbage littering inside the buildings there by putting passengers , staff and other users of the airport in danger, especially when it rains as it often does.
Also considering that the South East is the last , among all the geopolitical zones to have an international airport, the senate described the development as disheartening, noting that it would not only expose users of the airport to harm, it would also discourage International airlines and interests from from using the airport.
According to the SenatePresident , Bukola Saraki, “the dilapidated state of facilities and the infrastructure of the Airport is a huge disincentive to the use of the airport, and endangers the lives of the people who use it, besides being a bad testament to the standard of infrastructure in Nigeria’s critical aviation sector.”
