By Onyekere Ifeanyi, The Sight News
ENUGU: President Muhammadu Buhari has on Thursday, approved N10billion for the rehabilitation of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, which was closed down August 24, 2019, on safety reasons.
The president, who made this information known through his official Twitter handle said, “I have approved the sum of 10 billion Naira for an Intervention fund for the upgrade of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
“I have the assurance of the Minister of Aviation that the work will be done speedily and to the highest standards.
“Even as we have many items competing for our limited resources, we will continue to prioritize infrastructure investments in every part of the country.
“It is our responsibility to ensure Nigeria’s infrastructure is fixed; we will keep doing this”, he ended.
I have approved the sum of 10 billion Naira for an Intervention fund for the upgrade of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. I have the assurance of the Minister of Aviation that the work will be done speedily and to the highest standards.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) October 17, 2019
This approval, is coming a day after the south-east governors and other stakeholders in the region rose from a meeting where they concluded to meet with the president concerning poor conditions in the region.
There are already misgivings in the region over what some tagged ‘abandonment’ of the closed airport.
Recently, while moving a motion, the deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, Toby Okechukwu accused the aviation ministry of abandoning the project.
Okechukwu with 30 others stated that, “on August 24, 2019 FAAN closed down Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu to allow for rehabilitation of the runway. In spite of the December 2019 deadline which is fast approaching, no contractor has been mobilised to the site and no fund released for the rehabilitation,” he stressed.
It is now believed that work would commence on the airport to meet the December deadline.
