$111M PORT HARCOURT AIRPORT AN INFINITIVE PROJECT
The commissioning of the Port Harcourt
International Airport (PHIA), Omegwa, Port Harcourt on October 25, 2018 was
with fanfare, but two months after the inauguration, the airport is yet to be opened
for use.
Investigation revealed that the airport,
which was constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation
Ltd. (CCECC) Nigeria, for $111.1million was yet to be completed by the
contractor.
A source close to the Ministry of Transport,
Aviation Unit, told our correspondent on Wednesday that the new terminal may
not be ready for use until March 2019.
According to the source, Hadi Sirika,
Nigeria's Minister of State for Aviation, had "hoodwinked President
Muhammadu Buhari to commission the terminal after the crisis that trailed the
failed attempt on a new national carrier for the country".
It was gathered that the contracting firm had
told Sirika that the new terminal was not ready for use, but the minister had
insisted on commissioning the terminal at the time in order to get commendation
from the president.
Investigation by SaharaReporters revealed
that intense work was still ongoing at the new terminal, as several equipment
were still being fixed by the contractors.
Speaking on the state of affairs at the
airport, the source said: “It is bad that two months after the commissioning of
Port Harcourt airport, we are yet to use the new terminal. We all knew from the
beginning that the terminal was not ready, but the minister forced the
contractor to commission it.
“Now, months after the forceful
commissioning, no one is able to use the terminal. As at Monday, serious work
was still ongoing at the terminal and it may not be ready by March next year.
That is the challenge we have been facing in this sector.”
At the commissioning in October, President
Muhammadu Buhari had said that the new terminal would further open up the
economic activities in the state as goods and cargo movement would increase in
the state and other neighbouring states.
Buhari said the new terminal would
accommodate at least seven million passengers annually, adding that it would
further bring the nation's aviation industry up to international standards.
He emphasised that plans were underway to
link the Port Harcourt Airport to the ongoing construction of the Warri railway
line, noting that this would also make air travel affordable and convenient for
passengers.
Speaking at the commissioning, Buhari had
said: "The concession of four international airports in Lagos, Port
Harcourt, Kano and Abuja will improve infrastructure in Nigeria. Our desire is
to make air travel more affordable to all and this we are achieving with the
commissioning of these new terminals. I want to commend the Chinese Exim Bank
for their financial support towards the completion of this project".
Also, Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State,
had stated that the South South region was happy with the project, stating that
it would foster further investment in the state.
"I can tell you this today that the
people of Rivers State and the Niger Delta are happy with you Mr. President.
This terminal here will help the drive of the state to grow the economy and it
will attract investment to the state. What has happened here shows that Rivers
State is safe, Rivers State is secure and if it was not, CCECC will not have
been here to construct this," Wike said.
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