By Jeff Ejiofor

Social media have been awash with malicious pictures of an airport terminal building under construction since the reopening of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on Sunday, 30th August 2020.

In this era of information dissemination through the social media revolution, a lot of mischief-makers have polarized the otherwise good intentions of social media inventors to peddle falsehood. Many uninformed, self-styled public affairs analysts have besieged the place claiming to possess authentic information about any issue on the front burner.

Many of them have in an attempt to dabble into what they know nothing about, consistently deceived and misled the unsuspecting public on issues of critical importance. Unfortunately, the recent reopening of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu is the latest casualty in the list of issues that have come under the prying eyes of these self-acclaimed social media warlords whose only stock in trade is to spread unsubstantiated rumours.

These half baked social media activists have most often twisted facts with so much impunity that the supposed enlightened segment of the society has severally fallen for their dubious antics just to tarnish the image of their targets. They have oftentimes painted gloomy pictures of events, that people tend to be carried away by their mindless sentiments.

Honestly, the situation is quite disheartening, more so, as they usually lace such allegations with fake narratives and circulate them to all corners of the earth.

Quite frankly, the narratives currently being bandied around by these self arrogated social media Igbo defenders as regards the reopening of Akanu Ibiam International Airport are far from reality. Their claims that the airport was shut for holistic reconstruction work are not true. The baseless allegation by them that an unfinished airport was commissioned is wickedly designed fallacious concoction to whip up unnecessary sentiment against the government.

For the purpose of clarity, the airport was closed as a result of a safety problems. Below were the reasons adduced for shutting down the airport:

“The airport has a bad runway and landing aids.

Another issue about the airport was the presence of a market with an abattoir nearby, which attracts birds. The birds constantly collided with airplanes.

The state radio mast was wrongly placed and it directly faces the runway which disturbs the navigational facility of the airport.

The airfield and landing facilities are not lit for night flights forcing the airport to close by 6 pm every day.

Insecurity in the airport due to lack of perimeter fencing.

Obstructing structures close to the airport which interfere with the flight operations in airspace” – Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, August 24th, 2019.

Obviously, considering the above remarks by the Hon. Minister as the reasons for shutting down the airport, it is implicit that at no time was the issue of the international terminal building mentioned as the crux of the matter on the issue under review. The major problem as highlighted by the aviation minister which was also corroborated by The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria, (FAAN), Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu centered on the safety and security of the airport users.

As a matter of fact, when the airport was closed last year, the federal government was accused of deliberately shutting down South East and its economy by this same group of people alleging hasty reopening today. The same people also accused His Excellency, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of not acting ahead of time to nip the closure in the bud by relocating Oye Emene and the purported ESBS mast which were all deliberately avoided by the past administration. As a concerned citizen who is on the ground and has been following the trend of events on the airport’s closure, I can assure my reading audience that the situation captured above, was the real reason the airport was shut.

However, in order to utilize the opportunity and achieve greater goals, the Igbo leaders of thought led by the host governor, His Excellency, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and southeast Governors’ Forum, met with President Buhari and appealed for a fund to carry out upgrade of facilities in the airport. As a result, the President graciously approved the sum of #10 billion for the repair and upgrade works.

Meanwhile, when the federal government started the repair works, the executive governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi moved and provided a policy framework to address all the conditions given by FAAN as a prerequisite for safe operations of the airport. Consequently, he relocated the Oye Emene market and its abattoir to a new site. He also relocated the ESBS mast which was allegedly disturbing the airport’s navigational facility to a more suitable place. He did not stop there, he consciously assisted with funds were necessary in order to expedite action and ensure timely completion of the project considering its strategic importance to the people of South East.

Apparently, the real issues of concern which led to the closure of the airport in the first place have been addressed. The runway has been expanded and renovated as one of the best in Nigeria, making it capable of accommodating larger international aircraft. The tarmac and landing facilities as well as the concrete perimeter fencing have all been handled. Even the obstructing structures close to the airport were removed to pave way for free flow of air traffic. In short, the airport was ready for business even with the international terminal building undergoing construction. However, Hon. Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, gave an assurance that the building would be ready by next year as it is currently receiving adequate attention.

Expectedly and in view of the strategic necessity of the airport to the socio-economic development of the South East, it became imperatively important to reopen it for business while the few remaining touches continue receiving attention. Let us not also forget that when in 2014, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the international airport to the admiration of the people of the South East, the non-completion of the international terminal building was not an issue as the existing domestic terminal served the two wings of the airport. As a matter of fact, all these preconditions that have now been addressed by the current Enugu state government and which led to the closure, were all there when the airport was commissioned by the previous administration.

For the purpose of emphasis, the big question now is, what brought about displaying the ongoing international terminal building as a prerequisite for reopening the airport by some social media hawks? Why the noise against reopening the airport now that it has better facilities for both local and international operations? What has the ongoing international terminal building got to do with the reopening of the airport?

Ladies and gentlemen, the gospel truth is that the federal government commissioned the upgraded facilities which include the expanded and renovated runway that has been adjudged as one of the best in Nigeria. Flight operations were allowed to resume considering its economic importance and the fact that the finishing touches on the international terminal building and other less pressing facilities cannot affect it. There was nothing like commissioning of the airport afresh as alleged by social media tigers as it had already been done by the past administration in 2014. So, the fuse about commissioning unfinished project is baseless because nothing like that existed. I wouldn’t have bothered to join issues with such ignorant misplacement of facts, but for the need to clarify things, put the record straight, and remind us how it all started.

Finally, let me make it clear that the Enugu state government under the able leadership of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi provided the necessary enabling environment to actualize this process that has now repositioned South East as a major economic hub. The minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, and the chairman House committee on aviation, Hon. Nnoli Nnaji all played key roles in ensuring that the airport was not abandoned. Yes, the South East deserves more but let us not contradict our priorities in a bid to press home our demands. The airport we cried and complained bitterly when it was closed cannot now be made to wait till eternity before reopening for business in order to satisfy those who have arrogated to themselves aviation expertise. It’s rational to note that the little finishing touches remaining which are insignificant to successful flight operations should not form enough basis to continue leaving the airport closed. Let us not fall into the trap of our detractors who are not comfortable with our direct access to the outside world.

A word is enough for the wise.

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