By Sumaila Ogbaje,
The onerous task of ridding Nigerian airports of decayed infrastructure has remained the major concern of the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, since his assumption of office.
Sirika believes that as much as the beautification of Nigerian airports is desirable, the safety of passengers should not be compromised.
According to him, allowing practices that do not guarantee the safety of passengers is detrimental to the principles and standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
In that regard, concerned citizens note that issues on the dilapidated runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have taken the centre stage in public discourse in recent times.
They opined that the Abuja airport runway was designed and constructed to last 20 years but had been used for 34 years as successive governments failed to ensure the construction of a second runway which was due in 2003.
They also observe that the pressure on the only runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, over the years, has necessitated its closure for repairs to avert avoidable disaster.
In the light of this, the government decided to close down the airport for a period of six weeks beginning from March 8, 2017 to allow Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. to carry out comprehensive repair works on the runway and taxi-ways pavement.
According to Sirika, it is planned that flight operations will continue concurrently during the six-month duration of the repair work, Sirika explained.
He further explained that the six-week closure period was to enable the contractor to do thorough work on the central section of the runway and increase its life span by another 10 years.
“I was conscious of the sheer size of the dilapidation of critical infrastructure in the aviation industry, especially the most critical one, such as the runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
“Even before I joined government, I have always been speaking about the need for a second runway in Abuja because of its operational safety and for efficiency of the airport itself.
“The imperative to shut down the airport for a period of six weeks was due negligence in terms of maintenance of the runway and the need to have a second runway in place,’’ he said.
During an assessment tour of Kaduna International Airport recently, Sirika disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the immediate release of N1.1 billion for the completion of the ongoing terminal building and upgrade of facilities before the March 8 deadline.
Sirika also said that the concession of the four big international airports in the country was the best option to speedily address infrastructural decay across the major airports, considering the lean purse of the Federal Government.
He said that a transaction adviser had been appointed to ensure the smooth concession of Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt international airports.
He observed further that the concession plan would enhance competition in the nation’s aviation sector and reposition the country to becoming the hub of aviation for West and Central African sub-region and the continent at large.
He said that the government was committed to upgrading the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria to a world-class accredited higher institution that could engage in research activities.
At an event in the college recently, he expressed surprise at the level of modernisation and transformation of the college and challenged the management to market the college to the world.
The minister also inaugurated the 13th Low Level Windshear Alert System at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport, Katsina, observing that the runway in the Aminu Kano International Airport were in perfect shape.
Windshear Alert System, built by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), is a facility that detects the dangerous windshear that drops aircraft in low altitudes.
The equipment is already installed at Abuja, Lagos, Benin, Calabar, Enugu, Ilorin, Kaduna, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto and Yola airports.
“Weather phenomena generally affect air navigation and windshear is one of the most hazardous weather events to aircraft and most air fatalities in the country are caused by windshear.
“The successful installation of the system by NiMet is in consonance with the aviation safety policy of this administration,’’ he said.
Mr Noggie Meggison, the Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria, said the members of the association were impressed with the minister’s actions so far.
He said the operators were committed to supporting the government in its effort to inject competition into the sector through the provision of critical airport infrastructure and safety navigational aids.
He also noted that the government had so far taken a lot of positive actions in spite of the prevailing economic challenges.
Similarly, Mr Isaac Balami, the President, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, said the comprehensive repair of the runway was necessary.
He insisted that aviation was about safety, identifying the runway as the most important part of every airport even though other facilities were critical to safety.(NANFeatures)