From Uche Usim, Kaduna
Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and his Information and Culture counterpart, Lai Mohammed, yesterday revealed that the a second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, was in the works and captured in the 2017 budget.
They said the planned airport concession programme was on course, awaiting approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), having made remarkable progress including securing a financial adviser for it.
The two ministers made the revelations at a joint press conference after inspecting facilities at the Kaduna International Airport.
According to Sirika, “it will take 24 months to complete it once it takes off.” He said Lagos and Kano airports have two runways each, stressing that Abuja also needs it.
“There’ is plan by FG for second runway in Abuja and it is provided for in the 2017 budget. I campaigned for second runway for Abuja. I knew it was useful for better and safer operations.
“Imagine coming into Abuja or departing, you could hold for 20 minutes each way awaiting clearance from traffic control. For one complete journey, you could waste fuel by holding for 40 minutes and that’s almost what is takes to do a Lagos-Abuja trip. So a second runway will address that”, he said.
On whether the six-week closure of NAIA will not be exceeded, Sirika reassured the travelling public that the pace of work at the airport was soothing and indicates that Julius Berger will beat the deadline.
“I’ve inspected the NAIA about three times and some times, unannounced. I am going to install a countdown clock at the entrance of the airport. It is just a clear reminder that six weeks is six weeks and no more. After it is reopened for flights, repair works continue for about six months but that will not disrupt flights.
“In Kaduna, we secured the perimeter fence and perimeter road. We bought motorcycles for locals to assists us in monitoring the perimeter fence. We installed Instrument Landing System (ILS), the runway marking has been redone. We installed a mobile control tower, a fire service watchtower.
“The terminal building was completed within record time. We provided buses and trains. Every five kilometers, we have patrol vehicles of security personnel. We carry passengers airport to airport non stop”, he said.