The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Bello, and the Minster of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Monday visited the construction site of the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
The ministers charged the construction company in charge of the project, to double efforts and ensure that the project was completed before the handover date of the current administration on May 29, 2023.
Speaking during the visit, the aviation minister thanked the FCT minister for the allocation of the 12,000 hectares of land given for the project, adding that the project was meant to be an aviation city, containing everything a modern city has, including hotels, shopping malls, schools, cinemas and hospitals.
He described the project as a legacy project which would boost economic activities not just in the FCT, but across the country, while disclosing that the facilities would also include a cargo hub, and serve as the hub for the national carrier.
Sirika also said the aviation city would serve as a base for the aviation leasing company and would have the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau offices.
In his remarks, the FCT minister pledged his administration’s total support for the project and said that the indigenous communities and people stood to benefit the most from the project as it would bring about huge economic activities and employment opportunities to the people, while urging the contractor to work round the clock to ensure its completion on schedule, stating that “We have a standard procedure for compensation, and never in the history of the FCT has issues of compensation stopped a project.”
He thereafter called on the Chief of Jiwa community, Idris Musa, to continue to provide the needed leadership to ensure that the project is successful, noting that the project was “a golden opportunity to be part and parcel of a legacy project that will transform the social, economic and political landscape of the FCT.”
Bello further gave assurance that the project would not be hindered in any form as all stakeholders including the traditional authorities were committed to its success.
The Chief of Jiwa, Dr. Idris Musa, on his part, promised the cooperation of the indigenous community with the FCT administration, for the completion of the runway project and the Aviation City.
He added that enumeration had been carried out on the land acquired for the project, except for 20 hectares, and urged that compensation be paid to the communities.
