At Last, Abia Gets Airport As Keyamo Performs Groundbreaking to Commence Work on Project

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Federal Government has approved the upgrade of the airstrip initially earmarked for Abia State to an international cargo airport, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has said.

He stated this Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the  commencement of work on the airport project sited at Ubahu Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government, about 10km from Umuahia, the capital city.

Keyamo said that the upgrade of the airport, which is a presidential initiative, was readily approved to an international cargo airport by President Bola Tinubu to boost the industrialisation of Abia and the entire South-east.

He said that Tinubu desired that no part of the country, particularly the South-east, should be excluded from aviation development for the overall development of the country.

Abia is the only state in the South-east zone without an airport as efforts by the previous administrations to build one ended up as a pipe dream even after acquisition and clearing of land for the project.

But Keyamo said that it was unacceptable for Abia to remain without an airport hence Tinubu had specifically requested the siting of an airstrip for Abia State as captured in the 2024 budget.

However, he noted that the decision to upgrade the airstrip to an international cargo airport came about after Governor Alex Otti offered to have his government join hands with the Federal Government to upgrade the planned airstrip to a full-blown airport.

The minister justified the need for Abia airport given the prominent status of the state in Nigeria’s economic and industrial ecosystem.

According to him, Abia is considered the industrial hub of the South-east, with the famous ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods being churned out of Aba, the commercial and industrial hub of the state.

The aviation minister said that a cargo airport in Abia would make it possible for goods to be processed and exported directly to expected destinations thereby boosting logistics and economic activities.

He said that the airport would primarily focus on cargo operations to support industrialisation and trade in Abia and the South-east geopolitical zone.

Keyamo said that an airport stands as an enabler that generates economic activities, and its construction should not be dependent on existing commercial demand.

Governor Otti, whose administration regards the airport as a signature project jointly being executed in partnership with the Federal Government, was expected to have a chain reaction effect on all aspects of the state economy.

He said that it would transform Abia’s  transport system by enhancing connectivity through air-travel and boost tourism and hospitality businesses, thereby creating job opportunities for Abians and residents.

“In the new Abia, an airport is not just an important project for the long term prosperity of the state, it is an integral component of our vision to open the state to the world,” Otti said.

He stated that building an airport was in line with his commitment that “under our watch, Abia will never let any promising opportunities slip by” whatever the scope of collaboration.

“We are constantly open to making the most of the opportunities we find because there lies the path to sustained progress,” Otti said.

To underscore the long yearning of Abians for an airport, the groundbreaking event attracted political and business big wigs from the state, who all expressed their delight at the prospect of Abia having an airport.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Benjamin Kalu, said he was optimistic that the project would be completed in record time, as “Abia is blessed with a governor that understands the importance of synergistic partnership”.

He promised that the green chamber of the National Assembly would provide the needed legislative support to ensure the realisation of the project.

“We are promising Abians that when the budget comes, we will look out for the budget that is going to benefit Abia and we will approve it,” he said.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said that the project represents the determination of Mr. President to deliver the dividend of democracy to the citizens.

She lauded President Tunubu for considering Abia for an international airport, adding that the people of Abia would gain enormous economic benefits from having an airport.

The Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr Chaka Chukwumerije, said that 1,325.86 hectares of land had been acquired from nine communities for the project, adding that full compensations would be paid to all land owners.