The Federal Government has assured Nigerians of the availability of funds for the Abuja second runway, as well as its commitment to deliver the project within the possible time.
The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, disclosed this during an inspection tour and oversight of the second runway project in Abuja by the joint committee on aviation.
Sirika recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the Ministry to complete all abandoned projects and the second runway is one of them.
“I am glad that we can see some of the projects. The second runway that is ongoing now, completed cargo facilities here in Abuja and the international terminal and car park, these are some achievements of the ministry.
“I want to assure the chairman Senate committee on aviation that, with their support, we are going to tick all the road map items and have a 100 per cent success rate on it.”
According to Sirika, the contractor is working so hard to deliver this project. The contractor has been mobilised to the site and work has commenced. We intend to deliver the project as soon as possible.
“Government is committed to this project as well as funding it. With maximum support from the National Assembly in their oversight functions and funding we are more than ready at any time,” he said.
The chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, Sen. Biodun Olujimi, expressed her satisfaction with the ongoing project.
“This is happening in our time. We are improving and getting better and taking aviation as the real growth of transportation and key to whatever, we have to do for the growing aviation sector in the country.
“We believe that at the end of it all funding will be available to those projects that you need to deliver and we expect that you deliver them as well as you can.”
Olujimi recalled that at a particular time the airport has to be shut down because “we have only one runway and it was bad. It was the initiative of the minister to ensure that the construction of the second runway began.”
The chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Sen. Nnaji Nnolim, stressed that the construction has been expected to begin for some years. “We have been funding budgets to accommodate the second runway which is very important to this country. Abuja, being the capital of Nigeria, is an aggressive infrastructure, agricultural development and economic base, we feel that it is important to add another runway.
“When completed, this runway will be the longest, maybe in West Africa – being 4.2 kilometres against the existing runway which is about 3.7 kilometres. This runway is coming with control power, a taxiway and other facilities.
“The second phase of this project will have a terminal building. We are glad that this project is happening now that we are on the aviation committee. As we are happy with the minister, we also congratulate ourselves as part of this success story. We are glad that the project will be completed in less than 12 months because with aggressive funding this project will be commissioned before the end of the administration, being as important as this project in less than 6 months this project will be completed and commissioned.”
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