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Senate asks FG not to downgrade Enugu Airport

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The Nigerian Senate has kicked against the move by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to downgrade the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu from its international status to a local airport.

At its plenary on Thursday, the lawmakers described the location of the airport as strategic and cautioned the Federal Government against any move to downgrade it.

It said government should “not consider downgrading” the airport as a matter of urgency.

When the motion on the airport came up for debate, Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, had said,

“This airport is strategic in its location. I fully support this motion, the airport (Akanu Ibiam) should not be downgraded.”

Senator, Barnabas Gemade, the senator representing Benue Northeast senatorial district, agreed with Sani’s submission.

In its resolution on the matter, the Senate said rather a downgrade or shutdown of the airport, the Federal Government should instead “take steps to complete the new terminal building” of the airport and ensure it is ”put into use by local and foreign airlines.”

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had said, “We have issues with the Enugu Airport and we may downgrade Enugu Airport in terms of international status and I have discussed it with the Federal Government.”

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He has pointed at poor state of the airport runway, the presence of a state radio mast on the flight path of airlines that threatens the safety of incoming aircraft, the sitting of a Free Trade Zone at the end of the runway, among others as the issues.

Meanwhile, the state government had since responded to those issues, ordering that they should be addressed.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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