Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, have pledged to collaborate to make Ekiti State International Cargo Airport, still under construction, a success story.
The duo made the pledge yesterday when they jointly made an assessment visit to the airport to determine the level of its readiness for inauguration.
Dr. Fayemi, accompanied to the construction site by the Bishop of the Ekiti Catholic Diocese, Bishop Felix Ajakaye, said he and Senator Olujimi had pledged to make the lofty initiative a reality.
Olujimi, representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, hailed the governor for turning the vision of the airport into a reality for Ekiti indigenes.
She said her committee would soon visit the airport as part of its oversight functions to know what could be captured in the next budget.
Fayemi said: “When I heard about your appointment as the chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, I told myself that Ekiti is a very lucky state, because I know the type of person you are. You will use your good office to help this project. This is an Ekiti Airport project; it has nothing to do with any party. We are all in Ekiti party.”
Bishop Ajakaye praised Fayemi and Olujimi for setting aside their political differences for the progress of their state.
“I want to express my happiness today because we are talking about Ekiti interests, instead of selfish, individual interests. It’s all about Ekiti, even when we talk of Ado-Ekiti, Isan- Ekiti, or Omuo-Ekiti. It is not about any party, it is about our dear state and our collective welfare.”
The governor, who had assured the people that the Agro-allied Cargo Airport and other legacy projects embarked on by his administration would be completed for use before the end of his tenure, said the airport’s 3.2km runway was built with the capacity to accommodate all types of aircraft.
He added that the airport would also have facilities for the Nigeria Air Force to have their operations as well as for maintenance and associated engineering components.