By Francis Nwaze
We are already privy to why Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State is generally referred to as “talk and do” which means that he keeps to his promises. There is no history of him reneging from his commitments since the inception of his Divine mandate administration in 2015, instead, he goes all the way to hit beyond the target. People commonly believe that one can take his words to the bank as it will never bounce like a bad cheque knowing that his words are his bounds.
It’s not just cheering news, but a historical feat as the International Airport – one of the signature projects of the Divine Mandate Administration, will in a few months commence international and domestic flights.
The Airport Terminal Building is built to have a capacity of 2,880 passengers in total, with a total area of 35,000 m2, Car park which will contain 800 cars at a time, and the Apron platform of 134,000 m2 can 12 aircraft of 747-400 at a time.
The Runway of 3100 meters of 75 meters wide, plus the blast pad and the Resa has a clear zone of 1.4km from both ends. Proposed Taxiways of 5,400 meters in length of 45 meters wide.
The Control Tower, Fire Station, Police Station, Immigration Station, Presidential Lodge, External fence over 16,000-meter length, and many other facilities are already completed.
The airport, unarguably the best in Africa will open the vistas of investment opportunities and expose the already constructed critical infrastructures which the Governor has put in place to the wider world which will bring about their maximum unitization and will in turn boost the economy of the state. The implication? The world is now connected to Ebonyi State and the latter, being the world’s gateway!
Within a space of at most, 7 hours, one can go to faraway places like New Zealand, Eritrea, Estonia, and Latvia, thus ending the risks involved in traveling to Lagos and Abuja for international flights.
The airport will boost agricultural returns in the state. Ebonyi is one of the agrarian states in Nigeria. The reputation of her quality Abakaliki rice precedes her. Presently, this commodity enjoys nationwide acceptance and consumption. Rather than rice farmers limiting their market to Nigeria and a few neighboring African countries, their produce can be conveyed in cargos to American and European markets for business. The resulting financial gains can fund the mechanization of rice farming for increased productivity. Other agricultural products stand to enjoy this exposure as well.
The airport can push up employment in Ebonyi when it becomes functional. Qualified Ebonyians could be afforded preference in filling various roles as airport staff. The vacancies will run into hundreds. Commuting passengers to and from the airport would require the services of taxi drivers and tricycle (keke) drivers, creating considerable blue-collar jobs. Restaurants, stores, supermarkets, and hotels are likely to spring up nearby to service the airport’s human traffic.
Just a few days ago, the Ebonyi State Government announced job opportunities in several departments of the Airport. This is saying another kudos to the brain behind the establishment and bringing it to near reality.
To say that it will create over 20,000, direct and indirect jobs, expose the state to the world, and expose the already built critical infrastructures to effective use is to re-echo the obvious.
Francis Nwaze, FIPMD
Special Assistant to the Governor on Documentation
September 8, 2022.
