Work commences on Abuja airport runway after 34 years

Work has finally commenced on the 34 year old Nmandi Azikiwe international airport Abuja, which for the last 14 years has not undergone any major repair. The N5.8bilion project is expected to last for 6weeks.

The 3.9kms runway as at the time of commissioning in 1982 was given a lifespan of 20years after which a comprehensive rehabilitation is expected to be done.

The international terminal Manager, Hajara Musa confirmed to journalists at the Abuja international airport that work has commenced.

“The rehabilitation work by Julius Berger started last night (8march). The management has handed over the runway to them last night on the hour of 1am,” Musa stated.

Explaining how movement of passengers will be managed for the next six weeks Musa said, “We have a register at the entry point here and the passengers will fill in the name of the airline they are following so we know if it’s local or international flight. We screen them and ask them to wait at the waiting lounge for onward journey.

“We have more than 10 buses on ground. The Abuja passengers brought to Kaduna will be brought back to Abuja with escorts- that is those who are willing to come with the government bus and then proceed to their various destination.

Explaining further on the transportation logistics that have been provided, she said, “We can’t take car hire and pay them to take passengers when the government has already scheduled buses for with escorts. Anybody that wants to take car hire is on their own. .Even before this operation we don’t normally escort car hire. The government cannot guarantee the security of that car hire.

However chairman Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN) Abuja chapter, Emmanuel Kerry raised concerns on the welfare of staff who were deployed to work in Kaduna, stating that they have not been their allowances.

“We have a condition of service and it is well stated there but they have not come out to state what they will pay them. We are hoping that government will follow what is in the condition of service. Most of us have BTA that we take depending on your level but if para venture government provide accommodation for them the BTA will not be in full.

“What we are saying is that government should give us something to sustain us there because some people went to cooperative to collect money to transport themselves there and drop something for the family that is a loan and they need to pay back.

 A passenger at the airport Dolapo Lufadego advised the government to improve on their logistics to avoid waste.

 “My advice is this, passengers are coming in triples, government needs to have various sizes of buses so that you don’t keep 4 or 5 people in a 60 seater bus. It’s a waste. You have to do a lot of logistical planning to get everything smoothly. People are missing where they are to get the boarding pass, board the bus, put their luggage they are still missing all these things. Please put signs on the airport so that people will know where to go. Personally I walked to 3 places before I bought my ticket but generally the arrangement is good” he said.