Ogun Cargo Airport: Facilitating Agro Processing, Export 

The Ogun State international cargo airport is an ambitious project, which when completed will become important gateway to the many industries located in the state and adjoining states. They will find it a relieving alternative for the movement of cargo and passengers. Chinedu Eze, who was part of the contingent that recently inspected on-going work at the facility, writes.

The Ogun State government has shown commitment for diversifying its revenue resources by building international cargo airport with agricultural produce processing facility. The airport, which is tailored towards the export and import of cargoes, will also have passenger movement facility when completed by the end of this year.

Aviation industry stakeholders said that the Ogun State government would fill a yawning gap in air cargo infrastructure when the airport is completed. 

Travel expert, Ikechi Uko said there was an initial gap in air cargo in Nigeria. He told THISDAY in a telephone interview on Tuesday about the paucity of cargo airports in Nigeria, adding that it is good if one is being built, especially near Lagos. So in order to boost export by air, Nigeria needs more cargo airports and he also canvassed for national policy to drive air cargo movement, noting that there is so much to export from Nigeria but getting an airport is the first step.

Uko who is the organiser of the annual CHINET Avia Cargo Conference said Nigeria imports so much and that it also has the potential to export as much if the country looks inwards because there are so much that can be produced in Nigeria that are demanded by the international community and that having a cargo airport and export processing facility, will make it easier for air cargo export.

“I commend the Ogun State government for building cargo airport. We don’t have enough cargo airports in Nigeria; so this is a good step. Air cargo is very important because if we develop strong cargo export Nigerian will boost its foreign exchange. So this year at CHINET AviaCargo Conference, which will hold in Lagos in September, we are looking at aviation insurance and cargo export, as well as the enterprise plan for cargo export. This is where the Ogun State airport comes in. The hundreds of companies located in Ogun State and environs will need the airport to move their goods and import raw materials in addition to perishables that will be exported from Nigeria through the airport,” Ukosaid.

Foreign Exchange

Experts in cargo freighting like the Chief Executive Officer of ABX World, Capt. John Okakpu, says Nigeria has the capacity to rake in $250 billion annually in agro export commodities alone and that the first step to realise this is to build the right airport infrastructure and processing facilities.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Ogun State, Abdulwaheed Odusile, reinforced the fact that every state in Nigeria has something to export. He spoke about the plan to complete the airport in recorded time.

“By the Grace of God, before the end of this year, aircraft will takeoff and land at this airport. That will be the first of its kind in the country. This airport will become the fastest built airport in Nigeria. We started the construction of this airport from the scratch and we started in April 2021. This airport would be an international airport in all ramifications.

“The four-kilometer runway is almost ready, the construction of the fire station is on, the control tower and the administrative building is there and those are the essential components of an airport. Every other thing as you know is luxury and comfort. Even at that, you will marvel at the architectural design of the terminal building,” he said.

Aerotropolis

Odusile said the state is actually building an airport city, an aerotropolis, where economic activities that are export related and passenger movement, would revolve around the airport. He said investors have indicated interest in locating businesses in the airport environment, especially those businesses inclined to export of agro produce, finished goods for export and other related services and products.

“We are not just building an airport, we are building an aerotropolis. We are bringing different people to do business in the airport environment. This is a specialised airport as it will be an agro-cargo airport. Though, there is another facility for passenger operations, already, some agencies of the government are scrambling to be here and I can tell you for a fact that the Nigeria Air Force is already looking forward to be here, as well as the Nigeria Customs Service and so many other private investors. This will be the only truly agro-cargo airport in Nigeria.

“There will be an international testing centre here where all agro-produce that go out of Nigeria will come here and be certified as complying with international standards. So, once that is done, goods from here can be exported to anywhere in the world. All parcels coming into Nigeria would be flown to our airport here before they are now redistributed to any part of Nigeria.

“You can also see the location of the airport, where we are now is about the centre of Ogun State. The airport on the western side, you will see the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, on the southern side, you have the Sagamu–Benin Expressway. So, whichever way you want to approach the airport, the logistics of that is easy to Lagos, which is the fifth largest economy in Africa and Nigeria’s largest economy. To the hinterland, you have easy access, if you want to go to the east, north and other part of the western it is easy. So many businesses associated with aviation would be here and we are ready to accept everyone,” Odusile said.

He also explained that goods coming in and out of the neighbouring states would be exported from the airport and this would decongest Lagos and spread development across the country, adding that the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abioudun, is desirous of industrialising the state.

“We want to make Ogun State the industrial capital of Nigeria. We want to use this airport to complement that. This airport is also an important component of our transportation master plan, which will bring together rail, road and water transportation. This airport is not just a stand-alone airport; it is also being supported by other transportation facilities that we are building in Ogun State. This is part of our Five Pillars of Development in Ogun State called ISEYA, which is an acronym for Infrastructure, Social Welfare and Wellbeing, Education, Youth Empowerment and Job creation and Agriculture and Food Security. With these five pillars, we have been able to touch the lives of our people in different ways. This airport is also an infrastructural development, economic development and it is also providing jobs,” Odusile said.

He assured that the government of Ogun State would complete the project as projected and what was discernible during the facility tour of the project was the quality of work being done and how the construction is aligning with given international standards and recommended practices for airport construction in terms of safety, capacity and regulation. 

“This is one of the promises made by the governor. We don’t promise we are going to do everything, but we are going to do everything that we promised. That is the mantra of this administration. No matter who started this, we will surely complete it. This project was abandoned by the previous administration and we are continuing it,” Odusile said.

Explaining the expanse and level of the project already done, the OgunbState Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, explained that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos had remained one of the most difficult airports to get in to before the expanded access road and noted that for the Ogun State airport under construction it can be accessed through six locations: Lagos-Sagamu, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Epe expressway.

“I don’t think any airport can rival this airport anywhere within this country and the facility is unique. The design was done by one of the famous consulting firms in the world. They have done more airport designs probably than anyone else. So, that credibility is there. The standards we are meeting are world class. Everything you will be seeing today is something that complies with Nigerian and international standards,” he said. 

Facilities 

He said that overall, the total width of the runway is 60: 45 plus 7.5 and another 7.5 shoulders, referring to the thickness of the runway for the landing of a fully loaded freighter, the weight of Boeing B777. He said that perimeter fencing had already been done at the airport from the beginning, unlike some of the airports that are already in operation in Nigeria without security and perimeter fencing. 

“In front of the perimeter fencing, you will also have security road on both sides for patrol. We don’t want intruders coming into the airport,” he said.

Akinsanya explained that the terminal being built is a kind of a hybrid of one of the major airport terminal facilities in Morocco and a bit of that of Charles de Gaul in Paris in France, describing it as a work of art. The same thing also with the control tower, noting that it is something unique.

“We have two separate terminal buildings for the airport; cargo and passenger. At anytime, the apron can accommodate four aircraft of Boeing 777 aircraft. It can take two wide-body and two single isle Boeing 737 model. The only testing site approved in Africa by the AfDB(African Development Bank) will be located at a site not too far from here – Sagamu. That is one of the challenges people exporting goods out of Nigeria face because most of those goods don’t meet the international standard. So, before anything goes out, it will be tested before you can export it and it is just nearby.

“The total land mass of the airport is about 5,000 hectares of land. However, we are still in the phase one of the project, there is room for expansion in the future. The runway has about four layers with different classes of MM. The layer is about 65mm of asphalt, the second layer is about 50mm of asphalt and the next is about 100mm of asphalt. In the area of warehousing facilities, the state is not in the business of doing all those things by itself. We are going to have private investors to invest in the airport project. Already, there are lots of enquiries. Even, the federal government is interested. The state government will provide private investors with the facilities to grow their businesses. That is why it is aerotropolis. Right now, we are at about 90 per cent completion for the runway and the runway would be completed by the end of July,” he said.

Regulation

Akinsanya said the Ogun State government has had high level of engagement with aviation agencies on approval and authorisation for the building of the airport.

“The first visit by the Senate Committee on Aviation, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) personnel came with them and the regulatory agency gave us an approval for whatever we are doing here. NCAA has been here and we are engaging them and other key agencies in the aviation industry. NCAA has a team dedicated to this project. We are not working in a vacuum. The airfield lighting is already programmed into the project. This airport is supposed to run for 24 hours. So, all the auxiliary things that will make it functional are already programmed.

“Whatever they grow in Nigeria can be exported from this place and whatever they produce in any part of the world can also land here. There are lots of opportunities for the exportation of foodstuffs. One good thing is Ogun State is very vital. One thing is that this will also boost the agro processing and agro products in the state,” Akinsanya said.

On the proximity of the airport to Lagos, Ibadan and Akure airports, the Commissioner said: “Lagos is too crowded as it is. The cargo operators are not having a good time, the passengers also are complaining. So, this will be a relief to everyone. Passengers can land here and be in Lagos within 30 minutes and for those going to the east, they can land here and be anywhere within a few hours. So, the viability to me is the best location and it will be a big relief for Lagos also. Ogun state has the most industries. Sagamu is just about 10 minutes drive and we have lots of industries there, which will make it easy for them rather than going to Lagos. Everything that will complement the airport to make it a good business is being done.”