By Ewa Innocent, The Sight News
Abakaliki: Work is to commence on the new Ebonyi airport project in a week time, Governor David Umahi has announced.
Umahi said this when he received in audience traditional rulers, stakeholders of Ezza nation who paid him a solidarity visit to disassociate themselves from a purported protest by some of their kinsmen who matched to government house to protest against the siting of an airport in their area.
The state government had earlier approved the siting of a new Ebonyi airport in Orizor Community, a piece of land jointly owned by Ezza South and Ezza North local government areas at Onueke axis of Ezza south.
Responding, governor David Umahi said the airport will open up the two local government areas to the world and reiterated the state government’s readiness to pay full compensation to the affected persons whose land will be used for the airport, assuring that he will equally relocate them to another place as no government will leave them without being compensated.
The Ezza people who were led by the chairman of the Ebonyi state traditional rulers council, HRH EZE Charles Mkpuma, said the protesters were enemies of progress and did not hail from their Oruzor community.
His Royal highness told the governor that in as much as Ezza nation is concerned, the international airport remains their uttermost desires.
Mkpuma said the perpetrators and their sponsors will be fetched out and they will pay for daring the decision of the state government to site airport in the approved community.
“Those protesting against the siting of airport in Oruzor community are not from Ezza clan. This is because no reasonable person can object such gesture no matter what”, he stated.
He warned that it was foolishness to do such, hence the action would be viewed seriously and treated as such and asked the governor to proceed with the construction of the new airport at the proposed site without any fear of the detractors.
