Apart from airstrip, Otti wants to build airport in Abia

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia 

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Governor Alex  Otti in a group photograph with the Federal Ministry of Aviation delegation

Hosting a technical team from Federal Ministry of Aviation which is on a working visit to Abia State, Governor Alex Otti has expressed his desire to build an airport in the state within the next one year.

Governor Otti, while addressing the Ministry of Aviation technical team, assured them that his administration would ensure that the state’s desire to have an airport was realised as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Aviation team led by the Permanent secretary,  Dr Emmanuel Meribeole, comprised experys from the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), AEROSPACE, National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), among other agencies in the Ministry.

The team was in Abia to commence preliminary works preparatory to the building of an airstrip in the state which the federal government has already approved and included in the 2024 budget.

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However, Otti siad he would be happy if an airport would be built in the state, revealing that a site for the project has been identified while talks with the landlords were in progress. 

The Governor said: “One important thing about an airport is also location and so we now zeroed in on the place we are looking at the moment. We didn’t just identify the location, we went the extra mile of identifying the owners of the large land because it’s a huge parcel of land. We have already started a meeting with them.

“For us, we are in a hurry. I believe that all that is required to give you access, you will receive them in record time. This is to assure you that we are more than ready and that everything you require you will receive.

“We hope that, at least, in the next one year, an airport would be standing. We don’t intend to complete everything in one year, but at least once we have the runway and the terminal building, the rest would come from time to time.”

He used the forum to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for consenting to setting up an Airstrip for the state and for accommodating same in the 2024 budget.

Governor Otti also appreciated the Minister of Aviation, Mr Festus Keyamo and his team for being on the same page with him in envisioning an airport for Abia as soon as possible.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Dr Emmanuel Meribeole, while acknowledging the visionary leadership of Governor Alex Otti towards a better Abia, said that they were in the state to ensure that the land approved for the project was in alignment.

He said that members of the delegation included experts from FAAN, AEROSPACE, NEMA, and NiMET, mong others, and that they were in Abia to start with the airstrip project as already approved by the federal government.

Dr Meribeole, while acknowledging the fact that an airport project wass capital intensive, said that the advantage of having an airport would lead to job creation, promotion of commerce, revenue generation and even development of the state, among others.