FG To Contractor: Deliver PH Airport In Two Months

The Federal Government has given the contractor handling the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Inter-Bau, up to April this year to deliver the project or face its wrath.

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku gave the directive yesterday when he led members of the National Good Governance Tour (NGGT) team to inspect progress of work at the airport.

Maku said it was regretable that the contractor failed to deliver the project by December 2012 as it promised, warning that the government would not be happy if the firm fails to deliver by April.

He said; “The Port Harcourt Airport was supposed to be delivered by last December, the same period Lagos local airport was completed. We are worried over the slow pace of work in the airport.

“We are tired of excuses. The masses who use this airport are suffering. You must deliver this project by April because, we don’t want any further extension. We need to see more activity in this place.”

The minister stated that a total of 11 airports were being reconstructed in line with the transformation agenda of the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.

He said; “Before now, some of our airports looked like secondary schools. President Goodluck Jonathan believes that our people deserve the best. Time has come for us to look at life differently.

“ The Nigerian economy is growing and Nigerians must understand that. Let’s leave politics out of it. Because of the growth in the economy, we believe that we should give our airports a face-lift.

“We now have 100% coverage of the Nigerian airspace. With that, we can control emergencies. We have a lot of changes that have taken place. There is a wholesale transformation in the aviation industry.”

Maku disclosed that some of the airports that have already been delivered include; Lagos, Owerri, Kaduna, Benin and Enugu while Calabar and Port Harcourt are on-going.

According to the minister,‘’ Port Harcourt is the oil and gas destination for Nigeria and indeed , the gulf of Guinea., And so, what the President wants to achieve here, is to take this airport to the next generation by recreating it completely.

‘’ And, you can see the huge work that is going on here . It is a lot of work that is going on. By the time this airport is  completed , you will not recognize this place.

‘’ The purpose is simply that the Nigerian economy is growing, our economy is growing and I want Nigerians to understand that the economy is growing,’’ he said.

Maku said international investors that come to the country, especially, to the oil and gas zone in Rivers, use the airport to bring in materials and equipment.

He said government decided to upgrade the airports to support business and  growth in the economy .

The minister commended President Jonathan for initiating the transformation agenda in the aviation sector.

He also said that work had commenced in 12 Cargo airports in some parts of the country.

‘’ The purpose of cargo airports is to make it easier for people to export, because of the new agricultural policy, we need to have airports that can export goods easily out of Nigeria.

‘’ Port Harcourt is one of the destinations. Asaba Enugu, Jos Makurdi and Lagos. We are seeing a new thing in aviation that has never happened before,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Mr Okechukwu Ndika, technical manager of Inter Bau Construction Limited said the company would deliver the terminal building of the airport in April this year.

He also said work had gone far in the construction of the airport.

L-R:Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, President, Association of Retired Ambassadors, Amb. Isaac Sagay and former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Jibrin Chinade, at the launch of the Maiden Edition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Annual Report in Abuja , recently.