…says upgraded airport will connect Oyo to global market, bring investments
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Wednesday performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the upgrading of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Alakia, Ibadan to international standard, saying the project, when completed would connect the State to the global market.
Governor Makinde stated that the upgraded airport would also improve the ease of doing business, bring in investments in agribusiness, manufacturing and technology sectors and position Ibadan as a true regional business hub.
Speaking at airport in Alakia during groundbreaking ceremony for the upgrade of the facility to an international airport, Governor Makinde noted that the project had been awarded to Messrs Craneburg Construction Company at the cost of N41 billion.
He promised to do everything possible to ensure that the project is delivered in the next 12 months, adding that the decision to upgrade the airport was taken based on data and logic.
He said, “It’s a strategic investment that includes a first and second phase that will culminate into the upgrading of the airport, the runway, airfield lighting, terminal and other critical facilities.
“Let me specially thank the members of the Committee, who worked on the project in the last six weeks to make it possible for the official groundbreaking ceremony to take place today.
“Some people do not think that upgrading this airport at this time is a good idea, but the decision to upgrade this airport to international standard is based on data and logic. In the next twelve months, this project will be delivered. I will push the envelope.
“This airport will connect Oyo State to a global market. It will improve ease of doing business, bringing investments into agribusiness, manufacturing and technology sectors and positioning Ibadan as a true regional business hub.
“This is the first phase; the groundbreaking is the first phase. The second phase is the terminal itself. Once we do the runway and air-field lighting, we will have the terminal and they will be delivered about the same time.
“We don’t want to wait. After this groundbreaking, the Committee will be working to kick-start the process that would ensure that complementary projects within the airport are also going to start.
“I want to congratulate Craneburg for winning this bid. They gave us the lowest bid and they are working on the Circular Road, so we know what they are capable of doing. We gave them an impossible deadline on the Alao-Akala Memorial Highway and it was delivered.”
Earlier, Victor Ajiboye, Air commodore, who is the Commander National Air Defence Corps, Nigerian Air Force, Ikeja, Lagos and also a member of the Ibadan Airport Upgrade Committee, noted that upon the completion of the project, Ibadan would be better positioned as an economic hub in the Southwest, Nigeria.
The representative of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola family, Akinwunmi Akintola, thanked Governor Makinde for remembering and honouring the family with the legacy project.
Also in their separate goodwill remarks, Acting Chairman, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Francis Balogun and the representative of Airport Community Development Association, Ogunsesan thanked the governor for the initiative and his vision of upgrading the airport to international standard after 40 years of existence.
