Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said yesterday the Federal Government will not back down on its decision to close the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Speaking at the second presidential business forum in Abuja, Amaechi said a Lufthansa plane had been grounded for the past three days as a result of damage to its gear while it was landing.
Amaechi said the entire architecture of the runway had collapsed, and that the facility built 34 years ago, had outlived its 20-year lifespan.
He was responding to Frank Udenba-Jacobs, president of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), who expressed the opposition of the private sector to the closure
Amaechi said work to be done during the six-week closure is not just repairs, but complete “rebuilding of the airport. We are not going back on closure of Abuja airport. I understand that a Lufthansa plane landed and its gear got damaged. It has been there for three days. The runaway was built to last for 20 years but it has been in use now for 34 years,” he said.
On the suggestion that the repairs can be done at night to free the airport during the day, Amaechi said: “We cannot do it only at night. We don’t want to lose anybody. We are not repairing, but rebuilding. If anything happens, you will ask us to resign and we don’t want to resign,” he noted.
In another development, speaking on Arise Television programme, Amaechi said the Buhari administration plans to develop the Niger Delta, and that it would not be done by “sharing money to the political elite” as was done in the past.
“The conversation on Niger Delta is ongoing. Recently, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in Niger Delta to continue with the dialogue. And President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to resolving the issues,” he said.
“But, unlike in the past, where the political elite were interfacing with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Office and were sharing money meant for the development of the region, we will invest in infrastructure development and capacity-building in the area,” he said.
Amaechi also gave reasons for the present recession, saying it was largely caused by the corruption of the past government.
“We are in recession because when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was leaving office, he left $68 billion in foreign reserves. What happened to the $68 billion? Don’t forget we were in recession in 2009; we have forgotten that the then President Umaru Yar’Adua had to go to the Excess Crude Account to take a billion dollars every month to fund the economy.
“By the time Yar’Adua died, about $48 billion was left in the Excess Crude Account. They said the Governors’ Forum should share the money; fine. They should also ask why the governors said they should share the money.
“At that time, we used to hold monthly economic council meeting. The Constitution says there must be at least one economic council meeting every month. Under the watch of former President Goodluck Jonathan, they stopped the meeting.
“Do you know why they stopped it? Because any time we come for the meeting, $48 billion will come down to $47 billion and when we ask, they will tell us the President said they should use it,” he added.
Early this month, Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Serika, had said the closure of the airport would only last for six weeks while repairs of the 3,600 metres runway would take six months. The minister spoke when he appeared before the Senate.
No comments:
Post a Comment