Governor Gives Update on Completion of Nigeria’s Longest Runway Airport
Daniel Lopez - The Federal government, Ogun state government, and other stakeholders are set to meet this week
- They are meeting over the concession of the Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport in Ogun state
- The airport has reportedly begun to near completion, and aircraft are already landing there.
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over three years of experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
This week, stakeholders are expected to meet for the planned concession of the Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport in Ogun State.
The parties include the Ogun State Government, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, and others.
Legit. ng has reported that the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has revealed that the 'world-class airport' being built in the state will commence operations before the end of the year.
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A recent report suggested that the airport, located in the Iperu-Ilishan axis of the state, is nearing completion. Punch reported that aircraft were already landing at the location.
Investment to yield return
In a Channels TV programme, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor, said that once the concession agreement is sealed, the facility will yield returns for every penny spent on the project.
According to Abiodun, the state government had received many concession offers due to the world-class facilities available at the airport.
He said:
Returns on airport investments are not seen overnight. We have been receiving unsolicited offers from others who are desirous of concession of this airport and paying us back everything the airport costs us.
So, for us, our money has worked. We invested in building this airport to de-risk it because we realised that if we had gone ahead and advertised for others to come and build this airport for us, we probably would only have started building it at the end of our second term. So, we decided to bite the bullet. We invested. We have built that airport.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Stakeholders in the aviation industry have raised concerns that some airports may be closed when the full audit of airports in the country by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is completed.
"Nigerian airlines can't compete": Abuja, Lagos named airports with highest charges in Africa
Legit.ng reported that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja tops the list of airports with the highest airport fees, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos came second.
According to the association, the continent's high taxes hinder the development of the nation's industry.
Source: Legit.ng
