The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has emphasized the urgent need to invest N81 billion in order to complete the construction of Abuja’s second runway.
Keyamo said the additional runway is crucial to meet the growing demands of air traffic and enhance the safety and efficiency of operations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
This was as he disclosed that President Tinubu has approved the purchase of screening machines for the five international airports in the country.
Keyamo made the demand when he met with the 10th Assembly joint committee on aviation technology for the 2024 Ministry of Aviation budget defence, earlier today in Abuja.
Putting the performance of the 2023 budget at 40 percent based on the releases so far, and the 2024 budget for the entire Ministry and its Agencies at Sixty-three Billion, Keyamo said that critical projects such as Abuja 2nd runway, upgrade and rehabilitation of the old terminal of Lagos airport were vital projects that need urgent attention.
Affirming his five focus areas for the industry, the minister said there is a need to ensure strict compliance with safety regulations and continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s rating by ICAO.
He called for support for the growth and sustenance of local airline businesses while holding them to the highest international standards in the aviation industry.
He stressed the need for improvement of infrastructure in the aviation industry, adding the development of human capacity within the industry would form a top priority.
Speaking further, Keyamo appealed to the 10th Assembly joint committee for the procurement of consultancy for the design of a master plan for major airports in Nigeria, stating the need to give more attention to the area of safety with the procurement of equipment.
On the issue of airport concessions, Keyamo said that he has taken into consideration the concerns of the 9th Assembly regarding the non-transparent manner in which it was conducted but affirmed that concessions are the way to go for the 5 international airports in Nigeria.
He informed the committee that he has written a memo to President Tinubu for a quality concession process for the Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Enugu airport.
