Thousands of Nigerian and foreign air travellers heaved a sigh of relief last week when the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja resumed normal operations after a six week closure during which it underwent runway urgent repairs. All operations at the airport were suspended on March 8 and it was scheduled to reopen for business by April 19 2017. The Federal government had redirected all flight operations to nearby Kaduna airport which had the best facilities among the other alternative airports such as Minna and Kano. The repairs would last for 18 weeks but the critical runway section which necessitated the airport’s closure needing only six weeks. It is commendable that the runway repairs were completed ahead of schedule as the airport reopened a day earlier than scheduled on the 18th instead of 19th April 2017.
Nevertheless the closure of Abuja’s airport had a huge impact on both the government and the general public. Apart from significant financial losses for both domestic and foreign airlines plying the Abuja route as well as to Abuja’s business environment, there were many other telling lessons that Nigerians have now learnt about arrangement of priorities in our country. We all see the folly whereby the nation’s capital has only one airport with only one runway. It is on record that a contract to build another runway for Abuja airport was actually awarded to Julius Berger Limited years ago but was cancelled on the grounds of unacceptably high cost. In the light of the total cost incurred by this country during Abuja airport’s six week closure, the cancellation of that contract now qualifies as a penny wise, pound foolish.
In the light of the lessons recently learnt, the issue of upgrade of the Abuja airport which had reigned as an international facility only in name should now enjoy priority attention. Efforts to provide for alternative runways should be fast tracked to save the nation from a future shame as witnessed during the last closure. This is just as the need also exists to develop at least another airport for the city in the light of its strategic status and growth rate. The city and environs are growing fast in population and economic activities which will need enhanced aviation capacity to cope with.
The imperative to close Abuja airport also justifies the establishment and improvement of a cluster of air transport facilities in and around the various state capitals. This does not always vindicate some state governments that have established grandiose and unserviceable airports that constitute developmental aberrations and therefore qualified mismatches for their local economies. Moderate sized air landing facilities that have the potential to drive economic development of their localities are recommended, as long as their compatibility with the local economies is established. It is easy to recall that an aerotropolis initiative that provides for the foregoing was launched by the Federal Ministry of Aviation some years ago even though nothing is heard about it these days.
Meanwhile, it will serve a better purpose that the relief Kaduna airport which was upgraded to serve creditably during the trying days of Abuja downtime, be not only maintained but improved upon. The knee jerk approach that was adopted during the crisis should be replaced with a consistent development agenda. Meanwhile kudos must go to the government for providing effective security for the Abuja Kaduna axis throughout the period of the closure. It is recalled that the route was before the closure infested with criminal elements that made the road unsafe. This is praying that with the resumption of Abuja airport for business the Kaduna axis does not fall back to its previous depressed state.
