A former Senator, Gbenga Aluko, on Monday said the huge funds earmarked for an airport by the Ekiti State Government would amount to a waste of public funds.
Aluko told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ado Ekiti that the money earmarked for the project should been used to complete road projects across the state.
He said: “It does not take a rocket scientist to know that the proposed Ekiti airport will be a total waste of public funds as it will cost almost N30 billion.
“Eventually if you earmark N5 billion to make the Akure-Ado Road a dual carriage way, the travel time between Ado and Akure will be 25 minutes.
“If you earmark another N5 billon to repair, rehabilitate and expand the road through Uso to Ise/Emure to Agbado-Ode-Omuo-Iyamoye-Kabba, the nearby Akure airport to the farthest point in Kogi will be barely one hour 30 minutes by road.
“So, the grossly under-utilised Akure airport can serve the whole of Ekiti and a large part of Kogi State not to talk of Osun.
“All we need is public investment in good road network to make road commuting easy.
“This can be done immediately by Ekiti, Ondo, Kogi and Osun States and the Federal Government.
“If you super-impose on a medium to long term basis an efficient rail network on Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Edo, Ogun, most journeys will be within one hour 30 minutes from the Akure airport.
“The effect of a good road, rail system and the existence of a regional airport in Akure will greatly help to boost trade, industry, tourism, passenger commuting and investment.
“Leaders need to be motivated to know what is best for the common good, not white elephant projects like an Ekiti airport, which will not benefit anybody, including the elite.
“Nobody is benefiting from an under-utilised Akure airport for instance.
“Why then should any government be thinking of duplicating the loss in Ekiti.
“Instead, I expect the state government to think of more beneficial ways to make the Akure airport functional, while also creating economic benefits for the greater good as explained above.”
According to Aluko, several hectares of land, which are good for farming and economic trees, are being destroyed without any compensation.
He said: “If care is not taken we will start ‘importing’ food to Ekiti from neighbouring states.”
Aluko, senator between 1999 and 2003, said the operations of the airport if ever completed, might not be different from the ones in other states, which currently are not viable.
He described the project as economically unviable, unsustainable, unnecessary and ill-advised.
NAN.
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