By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said yesterday that there was no going back on the closure of the Nnmadi Azikwe International Airport Abuja for six weeks for the re-building of its runway.
Amaechi said this in Abuja while speaking at the second Presidential Business Forum, a platform for interacting with key private sector players in order to keep them abreast with federal government’s policies and programmes.
The minister said the rebuilding of the runway were necessary because already Lufthansa airline has been grounded for the past three days following damage of its landing gear due to poor condition of the runway.
Fielding questions on the negative impact of the closure of the airport by the president of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Frank Udenba-Jacobs, who made a presentation on behalf of the Organised Private Sector, Amaechi said the runway has outlived its 20 years live-span and is now 34 years.
He said: “We are not going back on closure of Abuja airport. I understand that Lufthansa landed and damage their gear and have been here for three days. The runaway was built to last for 20 years but it has been in use now for 34 years. We cannot do it only at night. “We don’t want to lose anybody. We are not repairing but rebuilding. If anything happens you will ask us to resign and we don’t want to resign.
“The closure of the airport would only last for six weeks while repairs of the 3,600 metres runway would take six months, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Serika, had said when he appeared before the Senate earlier in the year.”
