There are diverse views both from government circles and oppositions in Benue state over plan to construct a cargo airport in Makurdi. JOHN SHIAONDO reports.
Criticism has trailed the recent announcement by alleged approval from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities (NCAA) to Benue state government construct a cargo airport.
The indication by the state government was made on Wednesday May 29, 2023 after its State Executive Council meeting in Makurdi.
The commissioner for information and culture, Mr Michael Inalegwu, who briefed journalists at the end of the meeting said 12 states had applied for licence out of which only Benue and Ogun secured approval.
The foundation laying ceremony, according to the commissioner, is scheduled to take place at Kura village along Naka road about 12 Kilometres from Makurdi before end of April.
He said the choice of the location was appropriate as cargoes landing from the airport would be taken to the industrial layout on record time.salt
News taken with a pinch of salt
But shortly after the news, the All Progressive Congress (APC) held a press conference and described the decision by the outgoing PDP government as ill-timed.
The party said the incoming government was not involved in the deliberations as it is rationally expected under a transitional political arrangement.
The state chairman of APC, Comrade Austin Agada who read the speech said it was sad that up to this moment, the outgoing PDP government in Benue had not deemed it necessary to integrate members of the incoming government into a harmonised transition committee that would agree or disagree over certain critical decisions taken at the last moment by the outgoing PDP government. project
Same old project
It could be noted that in the early days of Governor Samuel Ortom, the state government and private investor Aerotropolis Development Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a cargo airport in Makurdi which was reported to cost NGN37.9 billion (USD190.5 million). This was in 2016.
The MoU was reported to have included a concession period of 25 years according to the then adviser to the governor on media and ICT, Mr Tahav Agerzua.
Agerzua disclosed that the state government would provide 1, 000 hectares for the cargo development project as well as NGN5.2 billion (USD26.1 million) in equity contribution.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Michael Gusa and Aerotropolis Development Company Limited’s legal advisor Comfort Chigbue signed the MoU for the government and company, respectively.
On Saturday, October 29 2016, Gov Ortom flagged off the construction at Dauda in Guma LGA.
While the government celebrated the landmark occasion to suggest its political importance, others criticized the project which they considered unnecessary for a state like Benue.
Ortom’s efforts at explaining the rationale for the airport and get public to buy-in did little to placate the criticisms.
While some persons questioned the importance of the project, given the far-reaching needs of the state, others were of the opinions that it was another white elephant project.
In justification of project
Ortom at the flag off said the project would provide a platform for quick evacuation of farm produce from the state to markets abroad.
According to him, “The effort would be beneficial to rural farmers, boosts agricultural activities and cut post harvest losses.”
He said as part of the airport project, the government envisaged the springing up of industries, power plants, estates and other economic activities in the area.
“This project, when completed, will serve as a direct connection to the world’s economic powers and provide opportunities for the international community to have direct and easy access to our local produce.
“We are partnering Cargopolis Development Consortium (CDC) to build this airport because the Nigerian Air Force has refused to share their terminal with us for the construction of a cargo wing.
“The flagging off of this project has put shame on the faces of the opposition elements in the state who have chosen to see nothing good in the administration in the state.”
The governor added that the project would turn- around the entire economic fortunes of the community and state at large.
Giving further clarification
A representative of CDC, Mr Robert Orya, explained that the company had signed a 25-year concession agreement with the government to construct and manage the airport.
He said the airport would be completed in 18 months, adding that under the agreement, the company would train 15 people from the state as pilots.
Then commissioner for works and transport, Mr Emmanuel Manger said the airport would have a general cargo warehouse and cold store and was designed to meet international standards.
The coordinator of CDC, Daniel Tarka said the consortium would invest about N38b into the project, representing 85 per cent of the total cost while the state government would invest N5.6b, representing 15 per cent.
“The project, which had three-year completion period, would include an aviation school fully equipped to train aeronautical engineers and pilots. Within the 25 years of its operations, the company would pay back all loans it incurred and recoup its investments.”
Tarka had also explained that all over the world, airports had become instruments of driving the economy, adding that over 40 per cent of economic transactions were done by air.
“The airport, when completed, would evacuate more than 500,000 tonnes of commodities daily to overseas markets,” he noted.
But shortly after flag-off, former Lagos Commissioner of Police, Late Abubakar Tsav, was among the first to fault the project, describing it as economically senseless and a fraud.
He questioned whether Gov Ortom had any good advisers and were advising him at all.
“Nasarawa state, our neighbour, has an airport. Can’t we use that for now if we have any crops for export?
“Our roads in Benue are not motorable. In some areas, there are even no roads. What farmers require now are fertilisers and good roads to convey their farm crops to the cities. We do not even have farm crops to export. The airport project is a big fraud.”
Criticisms
Members of then opposition PDP took to the social media criticizing the project, which they described as white elephant project.
They questioned why the governor had also decided to site the project in Guma his local government area.
The criticism though very damning as it may have sounded, seemed to have some justifications.
Years passed by but little was seen of the project which was supposed to be completed in less than two years.
On July 24 2017, journalists approached Manger to find out what had stalled the project. He said the community whose land the project was sited on was threatening to release snakes on the site.
“The community has threatened to release snakes to bite anybody, who trespasses on their land without paying full compensation to them.’’
He said that the community had attributed its opposition to the project, following government’s failure to fully compensate their kinsmen after taking some of their land to establish the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, read on which the face-off stalled the commencement of the project.
Refurbished old contract?
The recent announcement that approval has been given for construction of a Civil Aviation Airport, this time not in Daudu but Kilometre 12 on Naka road, again sparked some criticism.
While some believed the project was ill-timed, others thought it was a ploy to siphon the state government’s money.
Some wonder whether the state has such money to begin and end such a cost intensive project when it had less than two months to leave office.
But the information commissioner Inalegwu, expressed confidence that the airport would be a value addition to the socio economic growth of the state.
“The next administration can equally continue with the project but the good news is that this administration pressed for the approval of this airport and we got it”.
Opposition’s voices
State chairman of APC Agada said, “We recall that on the 29 October 2016, Governor Samuel Ortom led PDP administration flagged off 38 billion naira Cargo Airport in Daudu, Guma Local Government, a project he assured will be completed in 18 months. Four years after with no visible site of an airport, Governor Ortom while presenting the 2020 budget announced the re-awarding of the same cargo airport to another company for 12 billion, with extra three billion as compensation to land owners which reportedly didn’t get to the actual owners of the gazetted lands.
“The 38 billion naira contract and it’s 12 billion naira reawarding all squashed with the flagging of a Mega City for Internally Displaced Persons, which has also gone moribund. How do we trust a government that has buried chunk of tax payers money into an unrealistic cargo airport for almost eight years despite promising its completion in 18 months to build for the state an airport in just 2 months?”
Governance is a continuum
The chief press secretary to Gov Ortom, Mr Nathaniel Ikyur said the Ortom administration had till May 29th, 2023 before existing government. He noted that until he exits, he has the constitutional right as governor to award contracts and make appointments.
“From now to 11:pm of May 29th 2023, the governor is free to make any appointment; so people lamenting about the governor’s last minute appointments or contracts are on their own.”
Also Mr Terver Akase
special adviser to the governor on media & publicity said it was absurd that the state leadership of APC had decided to wage a war of attrition on a legitimate government whose tenure was yet to end.
“We wish to remind the APC that Governor Ortom remains the duly elected governor of Benue state and has the constitutional authority to direct government agencies and make approvals while carrying out any other business of government till May 28, 2023.
“We demand that the party desists from its acts of sabotage and subversion against the present administration.
“It is equally pertinent to state that the Benue state government under Governor Ortom has not entered into contract with anyone for the construction of the civil airport approved for the state by the Ministry of Aviation, contrary to the speculation by the APC chairman and his team.
“It was also a figment of the imagination of the Benue APC chairman and his co-travelers when they claimed that the state government was involved in some unspecified contractual engagements of various sums which they curiously could not substantiate.”
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