A coalition of trade associations cutting across major ethnic groups in Nigeria have extolled the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for what they called rapid development in the aviation sector.
The coalition comprising Market Youth Congress of Nigeria, Igbo Traders’ Support Group on Good Governance and Yoruba Women Traders’ Support Group commended the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, for the recent gains recorded in the sector.
They are of the view that Sirika’s tenure as the minister of aviation has accorded Nigeria the highest rating in air safety.
Spokesman of the coalition, Victor Amadi who addressed a press conference at the airport over the weekend noted that the certification of two airports – the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was one of the numerous deliverables of the present administration in aviation.
He said the Minister had also made infrastructure development in the aviation sector a top priority.
Amadi said: "We recall that the Kaduna airport was merely functional in the sense that there was passenger facilitation. But we recall that the passenger terminal was in total disrepair and out of use because the failed remodelling programme of the previous administration left it in disuse.
"After searching for any way possible to totally rehabilitate the runway of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja while flights were going on and it became obvious that for efficient work to be carried out at the airport, it must be closed; the Minister decided to rejuvenate the Kaduna airport.
"At that moment, passengers were being facilitated through the hajj terminal of the airport, so the Minster decided to rebuild the terminal. To upgrade the airport to the standard that international airlines can operate to the airport, Senator Sirika extend the runway of the airport. He also brought in Category 3 Instrument Landing System and upgraded the control tower."
He disclosed that plans have been completed at Lagos Airport to install Category Three Instrument Landing System.
He noted that the Minister had promised that the President Buhari’s administration would concentrate on providing safety critical projects at the airside of the airports across the country.
This explains why ample attention has been given to the rehabilitation of airport runways, installation and building of perimeter fences to improve security at the airports.
"When the Buhari administration took office the new terminals at the five international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu were practically abandoned. But work at these projects was revived and today the projects are at advance level of completion and before the end of this year they would be put to service," Amadi said.
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