By Uche Mbah
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has reiterated the determination of the Federal government to open the runways of Enugu Airport to traffic for the Easter traffic in April.
Skeptics have taken the earlier promise of reopening the airport by April with a pinch of salt taking into account the controversial circumstances under which it was closed.
The Airport was closed without putting in place structures for its renovation. It was after a series of complaint that N10 billion was approved by the presidency for the work. Sirika then vowed the work will be ready for the Easter holidays.
Since then, Enugu Passengers have been diverted to Owerri and Port Harcourt. Port Harcourt has recently got a facelift.
According to Henrietta Yakubu, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria spokesperson, “Sirika, who spoke while on an inspection tour of the Airport, noted that because of the strategic importance of this airport to the South-Eastern region, the Federal Government carefully contracted the project to a reputable construction company (Messrs PW Ltd) and that the contractor has given assurance that the project will be completed before Easter.
“Stating that the new international terminal being constructed at the airport will also be completed before the end of the year, Senator Sirika noted that Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), Air Field Lightning (AFL), Taxi lights and other key deliverables are also parts of the project,” Yakubu said in a release.
