The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has said the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport second runway would be ready in the next 12 months.
He also said the contractors in charge of the construction; CCECC would move to site next week.
The Minister also said compensation to the affected communities has begun.
He spoke in Abuja on Tuesday after an inspection tour of facilities at the airport.
Keyamo said,
“I had to go and meet the FCT minister and get that project off the ground in terms of clearing the obstacles on the way. So as of today, they have started paying settlers the money we paid to FCT for them to pay to the settlers and the settlers have started moving.
“This is a project Nigerians have been waiting for forever. It has been a controversial project from Obasanjo’s time till now. Well, thankfully, this government is set to commence the project and it’s one of the projects that is a low-hanging fruit for us and we think it’s extremely important.
“You remember the other time when there was a problem with the Abuja runway we all had to go to Kaduna in a very inconvenient manner, to board our plane.
“So, the second runway which is a gateway to Abuja is extremely important and I pray that all agencies of government, the National Assembly, the presidency, will give us the support to make sure we deliver that project within 12 months”, he said.
The Minister also said that the controversial National carrier project; Nigeria Air and the concessioning of some of the airports remains suspended.
He said Nigerians and agencies have raised red flags and he would not overlook them.
He said,
“Well, the next step will be for the federal government as a body, not just me as a minister, to look at all the reports which I’m putting before them to make a final decision.
“So no final decision has been taken on all of these and it will be very irresponsible of me as a minister to come in and agencies of governments are raising red flags here and there, and I will keep quiet.
“I’m not talking about even Nigerians complaining, agencies of government are raising red flags about both projects. And I, as a minister, will then wave all of those red flags away. You know, people were already putting machinaries in motion to commit themselves so it is to save them and save us.
“I said don’t commit, hold on. Don’t commit anything so that your commitments will not go into this venture. Wait, let us look at it all. Like I said before, be responsive to the feelings of Nigerians, to the red flags that have been raised by certain agencies of government, and then we take a final decision.”
Keyamo also expressed his dissatisfaction with the dilapidating condition of some of the facilities and committed to reinstating a culture of maintenance within the airport.
He said the maintenance of the chillers, conveyor belts, escalators, and lifts may be outsourced to a maintenance firm.