Tinubu’s Wife Inaugurates Upgraded Airport Runway in Ebonyi 

Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki 

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has inaugurated the upgraded runway of Chuba Okadigbo International Airport Onueke in Ebonyi State.

The Nigerian Air Force plane marked 5N-FGV carrying the First Lady landed at about 3:18p.m. as she was received by  Governor Francis Nwifuru.

Wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shetima and wife of the Governor, Mrs. Mary Maudline Nwifuru were also present to receive the First Lady.

Also on hand to receive Senator Tinubu were 22 spouses of governors under the Nigeria Governors Spouses Forum led by Ambassador Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq of Kwara State who is the Chairperson of the Forum.

The First Lady was in the state to take part in the grand finale of the Ebonyi women’s day, an annual event that celebrates the women of the state. 

She also commended the Governor Nwifuru for being gender-friendly in his appointments.

She said: “I think your testimonials have really gone ahead of you, and I am really glad to be in Ebonyi state. I am really glad we came, and I see how beautiful Nigeria is.

“You know we don’t promote ourselves.  What I saw today, I was even saying that we went to Burundi and I thought they did well. For a state in Nigeria, your runway was better than what I was even commending them for.  

“So, we want to thank God for the good work you have been doing. It gladdens my heart when we see people that are young, that they have their hands on their work and they are doing great jobs,  they have to be commended,” she said.

Governor Nwifuru thanked President Bola Tinubu for the assistance he gave the state which enabled the state to upgrade the runway. 

He said: “We came in on 29th day of May, 2023 and as of then we used concrete to build this runway. We didn’t know as a state that concrete is not accepted to be used to build runway.

“And when we came in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority closed the airport, that this place is not a place that a plane can land and we decided to start rebuilding the runway.

“Based on the support and the help of your husband, by the special grace of God, we did the runway and completed it to be one of the best runways in this country, Nigeria.”

Commissioner for Aviation, Ngozi Obichukwu, said the airport would commence commercial flight operations next month.

She noted that all the challenges and obstacles that would have prevented the commercial flight takeoff have been swiftly handled by the Governor Nwifuru’s administration.