NEWS
Keyamo performs ground-breaking for Abia Airport project
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, on Tuesday, performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the Abia Airport project.
In a speech at the event held at Ubaha-Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area, Keyamo said that the project was upgraded from an airstrip to an international cargo airport.
He described the airport as a presidential initiative because President Bola Tinubu instructed that no part of the country, particularly the South-East, should be left out of aviation development.
Keyamo said that the president specifically requested an airstrip for Abia State in the 2024 Budget due to his affection for the state and its governor.
He also said that Abia Government expressed willingness to partner with the Federal Government through counterpart funding to upgrade the project to an international cargo airport.
The minister highlighted the economic importance of Abia in the country’s industrial ecosystem.
He said that the state is considered the industrial hub of the South-East, producing many “Made in Nigeria” goods.
Keyamo further said that siting a cargo airport in the state would allow goods to be processed and exported directly, boosting logistics and economic activity.
He said that the airport would primarily focus on cargo operations to support industrialisation and trade in Abia and the South-East.
Keyamo said that an airport stands as an enabler that generates economic activities, and its construction should not be dependent on existing commercial demand.
He said that airports play a key role in enhancing connectivity and response to emergencies and Abia being excluded from the aviation ecosystem was deemed unacceptable.
He directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to prioritise employment for people in Nsulu, where the airport will be located, to give them a sense of belonging.
He said that funds were allocated in the 2024 budget to commence clearing and development.
Keyamo also said that the Deputy Speaker had promised prompt approval of subsequent funding in 2025.
He said that the initiative underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to equitable infrastructure development, regional economic integration, and industrial growth in Abia.
In an address, Gov. Alex Otti of Abia said that the airport would accelerate the socioeconomic development of the state.
Otti thanked the president for his commitment to boost socioeconomic advancement of the zone.
He said that the State Government had commenced preparation for the payment of compensation to genuine land owners.
Otti also said that the project would be completed in 36 months and thanked everyone that contributed to marking it a reality.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Benjamin Kalu, expressed confidence that the project would be completed in record time because “Abia is blessed with a governor that understands the importance of synergistic partnership”.
Kalu said that he would work assiduously to ensure that any fund appropriated for the project received speedy approval by the House.
“The people with me here are members of the House from different parts of the country.
“We are promising Abia people that when the budget comes we will look out for the budget that is going to benefit Abia Airport and we will approve it,” he said.
Also, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, expressed the determination of the president to deliver the dividend of democracy to the citizens.
Onyejeocha said that the people of Abia stood to gain enormous economic benefits from the siting of an airport in the state.
The lawmaker representing Isiala Ngwa North and South Federal Constituency, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, thanked the president for the resolve to build an airport in Abia.
Onwusibe said the project would contribute greatly to the achievement of critical infrastructure development in the area.
In a remark, the Chairman of Board of Trustees, Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, expressed delight over the fact that “an airport would be built in Abia in our lifetime”.
Wabara also expressed delight over the upgrade of the project from an airstrip to an international airport, where Boeing 737 aircrafts would land.
The Commissioner for Transport, Dr Chimezie Ukaegbu, described the project as a foundation for the future of economic growth and progress in Abia.
Ukaegbu said that the vision of the airport aligned with the government’s commitment to position Abia as a key economic hub in Nigeria and beyond.
In separate speeches, the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr Chaka Chukwumerije, and the Airport Project Coordinator, Mr Okorougo Aji, said that 1,325.86 hectares of land were acquired from nine Nsulu Communities for the project.
They said that Abia Government was working assiduously to ensure that compensation was paid to all those whose land made up the project space.
They also said that Nsulu was chosen as the site for the airport because “all the analysis indicated that the place passed the requirements for an airport”.
A prominent son of Nsulu, Chief Ncheta Omerekpe, thanked the Federal and State Governments for the decision to site an airport in the area.
Omerekpe described the project as a welcome development and appealed to Abia Government to ensure that due compensation was paid to land owners.
report says that the event was attended by top government functionaries and prominent Nigerians from different walks of life.
NAN also reports that the project is being handled by Craneburg Construction Company. (NAN)
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N899.50 per litre, saying the move was to offer relief to Nigerians during the holiday season.The price cut follows an earlier reduction to N970 per litre on November 24 and aims to ease transportation costs as festive activities peak.
In a statement issued by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, on Thursday, the refinery also announced the introduction of a special holiday offer. According to the statement, for every litre purchased with cash, consumers can buy an additional litre on credit, backed by bank guarantees from Access Bank, First Bank, or Zenith Bank.Chiejina stated that the price adjustment reflects the refinery’s commitment to making high-quality petroleum products more accessible.
Some of the released EndBadGovernance protesters arrested during the August 2024 nationwide protests in Kaduna said they were never tortured while in detention.They also stated that they never saw their alleged sponsor, Khalid while in detention.Narrating their accounts after their release, they said they were treated fairly during their stay in detention.
One of the released protesters, Dahiru Hamza from Tudun Wada, Kaduna, stated that their release followed the new DSS Director-General’s decision. He explained, “‘Honestly, I was not happy with the person that sponsored us to the protest, Khalid.“This was because he convinced us to believe that he had police authorisation to embark on the protest, only for us to end up in DSS custody.“But, we were lucky; since our arrest, we were never tortured or maltreated.” I sometimes challenged our sponsor, who was with us in the same room for days.” None of us was tortured in that room, and I never saw him being tortured either.”Hamza further added that after his arrest, he became scared, thinking he would be maltreated.He added,”But, that never happened. After writing my statement, I was even given food to eat before my detention, and the medical team attended to us.”Hamza said the only problem they faced was being confined into a place because they were not used to being kept in one place for a long time as a DJ.He added,”Apart from that, nobody beat or maltreated us.“You know it was not easy to stay in a place for days or more than a month without knowing your fate, even if you are well fed.“That, I will say, was the problem, but nobody beat us in detention.“If I had been tortured, now that I’m free from detention, I would not be afraid to say I was tortured, but I was not.” I don’t know why Khalid claimed he was tortured in detention.”Similarly, another released protester, Abdullahi Isa, arrested on August 2nd, said nobody touched him in the name of beating in detention.Isa said, “We were in the room with Khalid, and I can tell you for a fact that nobody touched me or beat anybody among us.” I never saw him being beaten or tortured.”He said they were not expecting to be released until they were called upon, that the new DGSS said their guardians were invited to write a statement on their behalf, and they were allowed to go after that.” Abdullahi concluded that since their release from the DSS on the order of the new DGSS, none of the officers of the organisation had called or harassed them.Isa averred, ” We later heard that the new DGSS even told the Kaduna DSS to review all operation and legal procedures of their cases and that of Khalid in Court.“That why why he is a free man today even though he sponsored us.” (NAN)
The Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), Chief Uche Anya, says the military officers from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu did not beat him but attacked his residential building.
Anya disclosed this when the former members of the Enugu State House of Assembly led by Dr Alex Ogbonnia visited him in his office on Wednesday in Enugu.
He debunked the social media reports that he was manhandled and beaten, and that of his police aide being killed during the raid.
The chairman described what occurred as a face-off between ECTDA and army officers.
“Indeed, there was a face off between the government agency I head and the personnel of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army while discharging my duties.
“I am very fine, hale and hearty,” Anya said.
Narrating what transpired, Anya said that on Dec. 5, the organisation got a report from one of its units that a development was going on somewhere at Park Avenue, GRA.
The chairman said that when they requested for approval from the developers, they got no response.
He said the unit reported that the area was guarded by soldiers, so they decided to visit the site to see what was happening.
Anya said that they discovered that people were trying to erect a fence.
“We pleaded with them that we are from the ECTDA and needed to see their approved plan and permit but they asked me to call the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division, Enugu.
“We insisted on seeing their approval, which they did not provide, leading to our stopping them from working and marking the place with ‘Stop Work’ notice immediately.”
He said that he thereafter reached out to the GOC and informed him about what transpired.
Anya said he was told that they were trying to secure their land.
“I told him that under our law, once a development is taking place in the capital territory, there must be permission.
“So, three days later, in the course of our routine work, we discovered that they had wiped out our stop work order and proceeded with the work.
“We rolled down our equipment and pulled down the fence because they reneged on our agreement,” he said.
Anya said that two hours later, he started noticing strange movement around his street, with some people taking photographs.
“So, around 2:30a.m, two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) arrived on my street. Some people in mufti with guns jumped into my compound and I was seeing them through my CCTV.
“They tried to break into the house but it took them almost 90 minutes to break in through the kitchen.
“Somehow, the Social Media added pepper and salt to what transpired,” he said.
While commending his former House of Assembly members for the visit, Anya said the matter had been resolved.
Earlier, Ogbonnia said they were touched by the information reaching them as well as what they read on social media and felt that they should come and visit Anya as a former legislator.
“Anya is one of us. We know his pedigree. He is a meticulous man; a lawyer, former lawmaker, and a law abiding person who can not act arbitrarily.
“It is therefore irresponsible for any government to ignore the outright defacement of Enugu based on elite status,” he said.
Ogbonnia said that, in democracy, no person or group should undermine a constituted authority.
“Enugu is what it is today because of what ECTDA is doing through their urban planning. Unfortunately, most Nigerians don’t observe urban planning.
“What Anya did is to add value to the beauty of Enugu by making sure that illegal structures are not allowed in the city
“We want to use the opportunity to thank God for you and to tell the world that we hold you in a very high esteem,” Ogbonnia said. (NAN)
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