NASS Decries PH Airport Project Delay

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation has vowed to bring to book every group  or individual that is responsible  for delay in execution of projects at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
Making this known to journalists at  the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa  during an  inspection  tour at the airport as part of its oversight function, the leader  of the Joint Committee and chairman the  Senate Committee  on aviation, Senator  Mohammed Adamu Alero, said the visit to the airport was to assertain  the state  of the airport so far.
He said the committee has come to know the level of accomplishment on project that had been awarded  since  2012 till date, pointing out that so much delay had been recorded in project execution at the Port Harcourt airport, especially the domestic arrival terminal building.
“We are on an oversight function of the Joint Committee of the National Assembly made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“We have just finished with the Enugu International Airport, and what we found out was discouraging. The Enugu airport is not save for flight operations. The Run-way is very bad, and other facilities at the airport have  deteriorated  while some airline operators like  Aero contractor no longer operate there.
“This is what we have come to see  and we all make sure that people responsible for these malfunctioning are  invited by the National  Assembly to explain what they know”, Alero said.
The Senate aviation committee boss,  however, expressed satisfaction with the run-way at Port Harcourt airport, and the level of work so far done at the new International wing of the Port Harcourt airport being handled  by the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company  (CCECC) which they said will be ready in April 2018.
Nevertheless, Alero lambasted the Contractor handling the arrival terminal building  of the airport, Inter-Ban Construction Limited,  for gross delay, inspite of receiving over 70 per cent of the sum for the contracts  but doing only 40 per cent of the job.
Also speaking after the  inspection tour the Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Mrs Nkiruka Onyejiocha said the behaviour of some  constructors and workers at the airport does not show that they are Nigerians.
She said the National  Assembly will do its work with out fear or favour, adding that those to be invited will be invited and that necessary  actions will be taken against them where applicable.
The committee went through the key areas at the airport with FAAN Officers accompanying  the committee, while  some of the committee members includes Ben Murray Brince  and Hon. Boma Goodhead.

Corlins Walter