Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has revealed that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport will be re-opened before Easter.
POLITICS NIGERIA learned that this revelation was made on Thursday during an inspection visit to the airport. The minister highlighted that the federal government was aware of the importance of the airport to the South-East adding that the closure was done in the interest of safety.
Mr. Sirika also took the opportunity to address reports of construction material shortage, assuring that the issue was being addressed and won’t be an impediment to the completion of the Project.
Sirika also promised that work on the new terminal building at the airport would soon resume in earnest, given the budgetary provision for it in the 2020 budget while disclosing that the present administration met the terminal project at about 20% but had taken it to about 60% completion stage.
The Minister was joined on the inspection visit by representatives of the Enugu state government and the South-East governors’ forum who expressed their appreciation to the federal government for ‘taking the bull by the horns’ in shutting down the airport for rehabilitation.
Others on the visit with the Minister were officials of the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and consultants to the project.
The Enugu International airport has been shut down for several months.
