Minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika says out of 157 projects the ministry targeted in the past four years, it has successfully delivered 134.
Some of these projects include the completion of some of the Chinese terminals, the repair of the Abuja runway, the certification of Lagos and Abuja airports, completion of the training centre, among many others.
The minister assured that the new Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano was 90 percent complete and soon to be commissioned and put to use.
This is also as he inaugurated the new General Aviation Terminal at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport executed by FAAN during a tour across airports in the country to inaugurate projects inherited, initiated and executed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration between 2015 and 2019.
MAKIA is one of the four airports terminals being built from the Chinese EXIM Bank’s investment of $500 million with $100 million counterpart funding from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Already, the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Omagwa, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport have been delivered as world-class terminals and put to use, and soon the other two, Lagos and Kano would be delivered.
The minister disclosed this while inaugurating some projects executed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and other agencies on Tuesday in Kano, expressing joy that the Federal Government had completed 134 of 157 projects initiated and executed.
“Kano is part of 157 projects initiated and undertaken by the government in aviation sector between 2015 and 2019. Out of these 157 projects, 134 had been completed 100 percent.
“Some of them were inherited projects that we finished and most of them were new projects that we started and completed by the grace of God, 100 percent.
“The remaining balance is in excess or most of them are in excess of 50 percent completion and very few of them below 50 per cent completion.
“We are in Kano today because in Kano we have done a lot. Few of them for example under NiMet, we have commissioned the regional office, which Will serve the seven north Western states.”
He also inaugurated the new regional offices of AIB and NiMet for the Northwest as well as the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and communication equipment executed by NAMA at the airport.
“Under AIB we have also the office which will also serve this zone and I think AIB has four offices in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja and Kano and we have commissioned that of Kano.
“Also, on the part of the NAMA, we have commissioned the DVOR which is the Doppler Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio Range equipment and the Instrument Landing System equipment and the radios for communication.
“These things that we do in aviation most of them are not things that the passenger or travelling public can notice and see because there are remote away from site but they make aviation very safe and secure and also in addition very precise,” he said.
