Guardian Akanu Ibiam Airport: High hopes, unfinished business THURSDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2013 00:00 BY KODILINYE OBIAGWU, SOUTH EAST BUREAU CHIEF AND LAWRENCE NJOKU (ENUGU) FEATURES - FOCUS THE expectations were indeed high; but the euphoria has finally died down. The international flight, in this case, the Ethiopian Airline Boeing 737 -800 has landed, taken off and landed again, but now on a structured schedule. Alas, Enugu State, nay the South East finally has joined the league of states and zones that lay claim to having an international airport. The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, which President Goodluck Jonathan opened on August 24, while the whole of the South East watched, looks certain to change a lot in the zone, economically, politically and socially. The airport at one time looked like an abandoned idea. But for other considerations, it would have been likened to the Second Niger Bridge; another dream in the pipeline. Successive governments had made promises to give the South East an international airport, toyed with the idea, yet not much happened beyond shutting down the facility for unending repairs. With Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, Kano and Sokoto states playing host to international airports, the delay in upgrading the Akanu Ibiam Airport was beginning to look like one of those instances, facts and statistics to allude to the marginalisation of the South East. Added to this, the infrastructural deficit, appointments at the federal level, creation of states and local councils among others, simply lengthened the list of worries. All that notwithstanding, the Jonathan administration made good its promise to give the South East an international airport, with the historic landing of the Ethiopian flight direct from Addis Ababa at the remodeled airport in Enugu. The 158-passenger capacity aircraft, piloted by 39-year-old Ethiopian Captain, Zena Gobere, touched down at the airport with 15 passengers onboard at 12:14 pm, to the warm embrace of members of the South East business community, traditional rulers, local dance troupes, market women and many others. In the cheering crowd were governors Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Theodore Orji (Abia), Peter Obi (Anambra) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah, her counterparts in the Finance, Health and Power ministries, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and Prof. Chinedu Nebo respectively, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh, and many others. As the engines died, a huge buzz engulfed the crowd that was still savouring the reality of a functional international airport even as some of those at the airport expressed appreciation that at last, South East could be counted among zones that boast international airports. This is in addition to other gains, which include job creation, economic growth and expansion as well as the obvious reduction of the stress of traveling from the zone, which is dominated by businessmen and women, to other parts of the country to connect international flights. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim alluded to this when he said that with the airport, “it means we can now, from our homes, travel short distances, board an aircraft, fly out of Nigeria and return to the same airport without having to go to Kano, Lagos or Abuja.” He even added that resources spent doing these journeys outside the South East would now be retained in the zone. For Oduah: “That states in the South East are landlocked is no more so. Now that the airport has been opened, the economy of states in the region would experience a leap. We are expecting seven other airlines to join the schedule after they indicated interest to ply the Enugu route. I feel excited over this landmark achievement.” President Jonathan has continued to reap accolades for making the dream come true even though his efforts were not solitary. Hitherto, determined federal lawmakers from Enugu, led by Ekweremadu, had in a letter in 2007 to the presidency, on behalf of the National Assembly caucus from the state, dwelt on the infrastructural deficit in the zone. To give bite to their letter, they also channeled the entire constituency project funds accruing to Enugu federal constituencies and senatorial districts in one fiscal year, to the airport project to boost its budgetary provisions. The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was said to have been touched by the obvious infrastructural vacuum and injustice that he promptly approved the award of a N4.1 billion contract to upgrade facilities at the airport. It was gathered that it was based on the strength of this that Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke issued the November 14, 2007 statement designating Akanu Ibiam airport as international. That status might have been achieved with the commencement of international flights at Enugu, but it might also be up against fresh challenges. For instance, despite the international status of the airport, the airport is still in lack of some facilities, although there are promises that, “all that needs to be done will be done to make this place an international airport in word and in deed.” Barely two weeks after the first flight, travelers are still being frisked physically due to the absence of electronic security gadgets. The international wing of the airport, whose inauguration ceremony was performed by Jonathan some months back, is yet to take off and this has forced international travelers to share same facilities with travelers on local routes. Although the runway is fully lit now to ensure night flights, other facilities like the conveyor belts, are not functional. “The entire environment still needs to be enhanced to reflect the new status,” said a FAAN staff. The airport may have started operating as an international one, but there are other concerns that many fear, could defeat the very essence of the facility. Prominent among these is the apparent lack of support infrastructure, especially roads. Expectedly, stakeholders are already beginning to ventilate their views on this. And for elder statesman, Chief Enechi Onyia (SAN), the Enugu airport is sub-standard and “the South East deserves more than it has received on the development.” He said: “I led a delegation to former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, about this airport 10 years ago, and this is not what we asked for. I am disappointed. I am not interested in something being done; I will be interested that a good thing has been done. I am urging government to do its duty and that is all. They have a duty to perform, let them do that without our begging them. Let the government give the zone her due share by putting up all that is required in this airport and elsewhere. The South East is an integral part of this country and we don’t need to be treated like beggars on things that should be prioritised” Onyia’s grouse is not just facilities at the airport that are not yet in place. “We all have to be concerned about the facilities and infrastructure within the zone supporting the airport. For example we have to look at the roads that could boost operations of the airport.” He continued, “If you look at the so-called federal roads in this zone, you will begin to ask yourself whether we have a government and the responsibilities of such a government. This airport will ultimately benefit us if we have a good network of roads in the South East. It will be a disservice if we continue to treat the issue of roads the way we have been doing, hoping that bringing an international airport has solved the problems of the South East. How do the people get to the airport? As a matter of fact, the airport has highlighted the deficiencies in the road network” “The Enugu - Onitsha road is a “death trap”. So I prefer to spend an extra hour on another road than use the Enugu - Onitsha road,” said Mr. Jude Ndudi, who lives in Abuja. According to him, “I use Asaba airport and take a cab to Awka. It is the same distance from Enugu to Awka, but I don’t have to be exposed to the bad road.” Indeed, federal roads in the South East are potential death traps. The major roads linking the airport are the Enugu–Abakaliki road; Enugu–Port Harcourt road and Enugu–Onitsha Road. The nucleus of travelers from the South East flank must use any of these roads to access the airport. A journey that ordinarily should take between 45 minutes to one hour will be unpredictable under dire road conditions. In fact, a journey on the quasi-dual carriageway, the Enugu–Onitsha highway is a nightmare as travelers have to exchange lanes, contest for available space with heavy duty vehicles, that are a constant threat on the road. Two years ago, the Federal Government awarded the contract to expand the Enugu–Abakaliki road. Works Minister, Mike Onolomemen flagged off the reconstruction work but presently, the state of the road has degenerated, making travelers to Abakaliki spend hours on a journey that ordinarily should take one hour. Last December, the Federal Government through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), rehabilitated the Enugu–Port Harcourt highway. Today, whatever repairs that were carried out on that road have remain unseen as the rains have washed off parts of the road in Abia and Enugu states, returning it to its former state. It is, however, believed that activities would pick up at the newly designated international airport should the access roads connecting the South East states be rehabilitated. One of such persons is the APGA Chairman, Umeh who said: “As happy as we are that this international airport has become real, there is still need for government to restore roads in the South East if it must be viable and serve the needs of the people. I don’t think that it will make sense for people to spend so much time traveling on the road to access this airport, when they could have done that with limited time if the roads were to be in good condition.” He called on the federal government to look into the situation of the roads in the zone so as to assist the airport grow as well as boost the economy of the zone. The Aviation Minister might have offered hopes that the roads and other uncompleted projects would receive attention as she noted that, “it is work in progress. We believe that before the end of this administration, the South East will look much more different.”
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 06:58:56 +0000