The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has disclosed that the new international airport to be cited in Abia State is part of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to develop the South East.
According to him, Tinubu said he does not want any part of Nigeria to be cheated.
He noted that the new airport would transform the state into a commercial hub of the South East region.
Keyamo stated this on Tuesday at the flag-off ceremony of the Abia International Airport in Nsulu, Abia State.
Abia Airport project is primarily a federal government initiative, with the state government contributing through runway upgrades.
The airport, initially an airstrip, was upgraded to an international airport.
Keyamo said, “We held Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday, and when I told him I was coming, he was very glad to dispatch me to this occasion.
“It was shortly after we took office and I was briefing the president about the aviation sector that the president asked me why Abia does not have at least an airstrip.
“He told me he doesn’t want any part of this country to be cheated, and in the South East, it is only in Abia State that you cannot land an aircraft. He said, we should make sure in the 2024 budget we give Abia an airstrip.”
Keyamo said the president’s motivation is propelled by his love for the the governor. “He (Tinubu) loves his spirit. I know comments he has made about the governor of this state and how much his people here love him.
“When I called Dr. Alex Otti and broke the news to him about an airstrip, he said no. I will partner with you; I will also put in counterpart funding and let us upgrade it to an international airport. This was what happened.
“Because Abia is the heart of industrialisation of the South East, it doesn’t add up at all that the heart of industrialization of the South East doesn’t have an airport and I can tell you that there are already plans that it is not going to be only a passenger airport but a cargo airport too.”