The Senate, on Wednesday, kicked against the proposed N64b second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, as bogus and ‘too high’.
However, Former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah disclosed that there is no nothing like N64 billion second runway contract saying that the contract has been cancelled before she was even appointed as Minister of Aviation.
In a motion sponsored by Senator Dino Melaye APC, Kogi West, Senate acknowledged the fact that a second runway was necessary for the Airport taking cognizance of its location at the nations capital but concluded that the proposed amount was ‘ too exorbitant’, urging the federal government to take a second look at the contract process to ensure due diligence was followed so that the project cost could be pruned down.
Senate Melaye exposed that the terminal 5 in Heathrow Airport, with four lanes of 4km runway, cost less than N25 billion, while the entire Gombe Airport, with 3.66km runways, cost N8.2 billion.
He equally revealed that the Jigawa Airport was constructed at N11 billion, while Bauchi Airport was N12 billion, Enugu Airport, N13 billion, and the Akwa Ibom Airport was constructed at about N18 billion.
According to Senator Melaye, “The Federal Government should reduce this unrealistic cost and duly monitor the award process”, insisting that the proposed cost of the runway far exceeded the cost of constructing some airports around the country and even abroad.
He queried why the proposed construction of a mere runway at Abuja Airport would cost N64 billion.
The lawmaker reminded his colleagues that the proposed runway contract had ealier surfaced during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan but was thrown away due to its high cost, urging President Muhammudu Buhari to toe same line.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, acknowledged that the second runway was of utmost necessity but added that it could only be executed “at a reasonable price’’.
“It is important, but we cannot continue with such reckless expenditure.
“We have to let all the MDAs know that those days of recklessness are over and these kinds of figures will not be accepted.
“`In fact, it is not just in aviation, but in all other sectors of the economy,” Saraki said.
The former Minister added that the report on the contract was speculative because the inter-ministerial agencies set up on the contract are yet to submit their report on the second runway project.
She admitted that the second runway is necessary because if anything happens to the existing runway people have to go to Kaduna airport.
