Government Commences Repair Work At Abuja Airport

Officials of the contractor handling the project, Julius Berger Plc, were seen moving men and equipment to the site yesterday.

The federal government has commenced repair work the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport runway, following its closure midnight, Wednesday.

The company also marked the runway to deter overzealous pilots from landing on the runway, which repair costs is estimated to cost N5.8 billion. Briefing the Senate on the logistical implication of flight operations to Kaduna International Airport, Minister of State for Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika, said the relocation would cost government over N1.134 billion.

Of the amount, he said Nigeria Railway Corporation would get N100.33m; Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, N237.24m; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, N325m and Nigeria Police Force, N358.5m Similarly, the minister said the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, would get N29 million, while N84 million would be paid for buses that would convey passengers from Kaduna to Abuja for the six- week duration.

Workers groan over DTA Meanwhile, chairman of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Mr Emmanuel Kerri, complained yesterday that workers were groaning over government’s failure to pay Duty Tour Allowance, DTA, for the relocation.

He said over 500 workers were relocated without an advance payment to settle down in Kaduna, adding that up till yesterday, there was no alert received by any of the workers. He and some of the workers had to even go to the Cooperative Society to take loans for the upkeep of their families.

Passengers were seen boarding the Chisco Transport buses which the federal authorities contracted to pick genuine passengers with tickets from the airport to Kaduna. Reacting to the relocation, a passenger, Johnson Erijoh, appreciated the effort of the federal government and the arrangement made to ease passengers’ plight. Erijor confirmed to Vanguard that no fee was charge for the bus that was to convey the passengers to Kaduna.

He said:  “I’m a passenger from Kaduna to Benin. The time flight is 2pm, we have to go to Kaduna. I have just been told that there is a bus arrangement; we are about taking the bus now to go to Kaduna for onward boarding to our various destinations. “So far, it’s fine because there seems to be no stress passing through security down here. I think it is hitch free and it’s nice.

I don’t know how it will continue because they have just started but for now I think it is okay.” Another passenger, Mr Shittu Hakeem going to Lagos, said the bus was already on ground waiting for passengers, adding that the whole arrangement was peaceful and well-coordinated but hoped that it would continue like that till the end of the runway repair duration.

Mr Emmanuel Kola, another passenger who was going to Enugu, advised passengers to arrive Abuja airport on time so as to join the bus to Kaduna and be able to meet their flight on time. Prof. Dolapo Lufadeju, yet another passenger, said:  ‘’The screening of passengers is also OK by me as that is for our safety. The important thing is that there may be no need to do another screening in Kaduna since all of us have been screened in Abuja. We need to be conscious of safety procedures.’’