The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, on Tuesday disclosed that relocation of operations of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna would gulp over N1.1 billion for logistics only.
The relocation is to last just six weeks.
Sirika, who made this disclosure while addressing lawmakers on the need for the closure of airport for six weeks, explained that the money will be shared among government agencies.
Giving the breakdown of the N1.1 billion and how it will be shared among the agencies, the Minister said the Nigerian Railway Corporation is to gulp N100,326,400; Federal Road Safety Corps, N237,247,216.21; the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps will take up N325,000,000; Nigeria Police Force, N358,517,700; and the Nigeria Immigration Service N29 million.
Sirika said the closure is the international airport is expected to take effect from March 8.
Also speaking to Senators, the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola, said Nigeria is not the first country to close down its airport in the world.
Fashola who informed the lawmakers that all hands are on deck to ensure that Abuja-Kaduna Expressway is in good condition, said the contractor has been mobilized to site and assured that the construction of the road will be concluded by February 28.
The Minister also revealed the construction of the road would gulp N1.05 billion.
Fashola however raised concern that the contractor demanded 50 per cent of the contract sum, which is against the Public Procurement Act.
But in his own view, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineer, Anyaeji Otis, kicked against the planned closure of Abuja airport.
Otis said it is possible to carry out reconstruction of the runway without closing the airport.
According to him: “I it is possible to carry out the repair without shutting down the airport.
“Shutting down the airport is like shutting down Nigeria.
“The runway can be constructed without closing down the airport with segmented approach.”
Otis added that while the construction is going on, the smaller aircraft can land in Abuja, while the big aircraft can be diverted to Kaduna or Lagos.
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