The Chuba Okadigbo International Airport in Ebonyi State which has gulped over 55.7 billion naira still lies unused, with the last flight recorded in June 2023, 9News Nigeria has learnt.
According to The Sun, the immediate past governor of the state and current Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, conceived the project and spent approximately N42 billion on its construction in 2023.
On Thursday, April 26, 2023, the airport was launched with two inaugural flights of Air Peace aircraft landing on the runway. The ceremony was attended by top government officials and dignitaries from across the country.
However, despite the significant investment, the airport remained unusable due to deficiencies in the runway’s construction.
Governor Francis Nwifuru announced last year the plan to repair the airport with N13.7 billion on the advice of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
He said, “A governor called me and we discussed at length on the approval of N13.75 billion for the airport that is deemed to have been completed and handed over. The question that the governor asked me is the question every reasonable Ebonyi man is asking. The truth is that the mindset of those that started the airport is germane; but did we get it right? In the area of the runway, we didn’t get it right because the runway is destroying aircraft tyres.
“Initially, we thought the problem was caused by the expansion joints. That’s what we believed initially and we said, okay, let us close all the expansion joints and see why it is jumping but it is still jumping and it has spoiled a lot of aircraft, which is why many airlines have refused to land there. And for us to get it right, we approached the Federal Ministry of Aviation and asked them what we can do. They told us that we need to do certification, put in thyroids, and start laying asphalt. I said, wow, we are in trouble. When you look at the amount that was sunk into that airport, it is not something you get up and say you want to abandon. “The former administration sunk N42 billion into that edifice. It is one of the best, biggest, and largest airports in the country. We have been confronted with many challenges on this matter, and we must do something and get it right because our people’s money has been spent on the project. This is why we engaged many contractors, including CCECC, Julius Berger, and others, to give us their quotations.
“Some gave N14 billion, some gave N15 billion, some gave N11 billion and N10 billion, depending on what they do. But we looked at their schedules and the needs of the Ministry of Aviation. We didn’t just venture into the rehabilitation of the airport just to spend money but to make use of the value of our money that has been spent on that project.”
The Commissioner for Aviation, Dr. Ngozi Obichukwu, said last year that most aircraft could not cope with the runway due to the non-asphalting of the concrete base used in its construction, but that the state government initiated the asphalting of the runway in October 2023 and successfully completed the project on July 8, 2024. A financial expert, Kalu Aja, who has always been a critic of the project because, according to him, the state, being the poorest in the South East, has no business building an airport, said the funds should have been better channeled into education and agricultural projects, which the state is known for. Aja, who gave his opinion on his X handle, said that rather than allowing it to continue lying fallow, it can be maximised.
“Get this airport a Free Trade Zone license and international airport license. Lease it to Olam, Dangote, Coscharis, BUA, etc., and Aba traders as a dry port. Goods can be imported to the South East via the Ebonyi airport, air cargo container only. Exports like cassava flour can be made from here. Build a spur to connect Abakaliki Airport to Aba and Onitsha by rail. Move quickly as your man is in office with a good portfolio. Ebonyi can’t do it alone; partner, reach out regionally,” he said.
Also, a video trended where people were seen holding prayer sessions at the airport.
The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Oguzorkanu Offia-Nwali promised on his Facebook page that Ebonyians will make use of the airport during Christmas celebrations which never happened.
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