…Investigate state of airports in the country
From: FRED ITUA, Abuja
The Senate, on Wednesday, raised the alarm over the decay and what it described as a looming disaster at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
It said the looming disaster, if not immediately nipped in the bud, would endanger the lives of air travellers.
In the same vein, the Senate has mandated its committee on Aviation to investigate the circumstances surrounding the award of contracts for renovation of airports in the country and the shoddy jobs that have resulted in the sorry-state of affairs of the various airports.
The Senate arrived at the decision after Sen. Chukwuka Utazi from Enugu State, moved a motion tagged, “The need for urgent renovation of the facilities and infrastructure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.”
It called on the Federal Ministry of Aviation and other relevant authorities to, as a matter of urgency, repair the damaged parts and renovate the facilities of the airport and other airports in the country which require such attention, to reduce the dangers of harm to which users of the airport are exposed.
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who also hails from Enugu, lamented that whenever it rains, floods take over major parts of the airport.
He added that the runway of the airport which was upgraded to the status of an international airport on August 24, 2013, is bad and has on different occasions, damaged planes.
Describing the state of the airport, Utazi said debris and wind-blown garbage littering the inside of the buildings, thereby putting passengers, staff and other users of the airport in danger.
“Considering the South East is the last, among all the geopolitical zones to have an international airport, this development is disheartening and would not only expose users of the airport to harm, it would also discourage international airlines and interests from using the airport.
“The current dilapidated state of the 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,” Utazi said.
On the planned investigation of the circumstances surrounding the award of renovation of airports in the country and the shoddy jobs that have resulted in the sorry-state of affairs of the various airports, the Senate committee on Aviation is expected to report back soon. No time frame was given.