Abuja Bantaba recognises Oduah’s feats in aviation sector

In what has gone down as a testimony to the work former aviation minister Stella Oduah did whilst at the helms of Nigeria aviation industry, the Akwaaba Travel Market, organisers of Bantaba, a travel and tourism event, last week said they recognise her feats, one of which led to the transformation now being witnessed in many of the nation’s airports.

While bestowing on her the ‘Legends of Travel’ Award, organisers of the event, said Oduah left an indellible mark on the “sands of times (at the aviation ministry) that will take a long time to surpass. She upgraded the airports, transformed some into international airports and started the construction of brand new international terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu. She transformed the airport environment in Nigeria.”

The group noted that within a short space of less than two and half years, the former aviation minister was able to remodel and restructure 11 airports out of the 22 airports owned by the Federal Government; she also kick-started the comprehensive rehabilitation of the other 11 airports of which work had reached advanced stage before she was removed.

Under her, the Federal Government reached a deal with Chinese Exim Bank and the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) for the building of five new airport terminals at the airports in Kano, Enugu, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja; work has started at the site of the new terminals and the construction is billed to be completed by early 2016.

The former Minister of Aviation also introduced Aerotropolis, which is simply described as the airport city, whose objective is to create businesses around the four designated airports in Kano, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt and develop a city of enterprises that would be galvanised by travellers and airport users to boost commerce and employment in the country.

Oduah also started the establishment of 14 perishable cargo terminals which is aimed at having access to international market for Nigeria’s farm produce; this would empower Nigerian farmers economically and boost the country’s foreign exchange. These developments are expected to contribute substantially to the nation’s GDP and stir a burst of economic activities at the airports which hitherto were grossly underutilised.