The rave by state governments to build airports – whether cargo/ passengers model or a hybrid in their domains – is triggering curiosity for watchers of the air transport sector. Reason: industry players are getting worried over the recalcitrance of supranational entities to vote billions into needless projects that would either be abandoned for lack of patronage or a facility that would trigger passionate appeal for take-over by the Federal Government.
Though some state governments – Akwa Ibom, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Taraba, Gombe, Ekiti, Anambra, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Yobe, Nassarawa, Osun, Ogun and Cross Rivers – have built airports in their domains, the commercial viability of such projects has remained a subject of intense debate in the air transport industry.
The Lagos State Government recently secured approval from the Federal Government to build an airport in the Lekki/Epe corridor.
Investigations by The Nation indicate that about 12 states have secured approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to establish airports in their territory.
Only last week, the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, said the government was committed to the development of a new airport in Auchi, Edo North Senatorial District.
Obaseki said the Federal Government has given the state a tentative approval for the airport, noting that the government was working with experts to finalise the survey of the airport project.
He said: “The charting of the airport is already ongoing to ensure safety measures required for an approval of the airport project as safety is the main consideration. We want to make sure the approaches for landing into the airport runway are clear and safe for landing and will not endanger the aircraft.
“These are the final reports and studies that are being conducted and as soon as we get final approval, we will break ground and commence construction of the Auchi Airport.”
On the need for the new airport in Edo North, Obaseki said: “This is not a political project. Between Benin City and Abuja, which is more than 600 km, there is no airport.
“From the transportation standpoint, it makes a lot of commercial sense to have an airport in Edo North. More importantly, there are emerging businesses, particularly in the areas of mining and academia. There are two cement companies producing over six million tonnes of cement in this axis. There are a lot of activities to support an airport in this area,” he added.
A few days later, the Benue State Government in Northcentral said it had secured a licence from the NCAA to construct a Civil Aviation Airport in Makurdi, the state capital.
Benue State Commissioner of Information and Culture, Mr. Michael Inalegwu, who made this known in Makurdi at the end of the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting, said about 12 states in the country have also secured licences from the NCAA for the construction of the civil aviation airports in their domains.
Inalegwu announced that the Benue State Government had also sealed an approval from the cvil aviation authorities to allow Air Peace to commence commercial flights from the Makurdi Airport to other parts of the country.
According to him, flights from the Makurdi Airport were billed to commence on April1 7, 2023 at 8 am from Makurdi.
The commissioner, however, explained further that of the 12 states, only Benue and Ogun had been granted the approvals for the construction of the airports.
The foundation laying for the airport, according to the Commissioner, is scheduled to take place next week at Kura village, along Naka road, about 12 kilometres away from Makurdi, the state capital.
“The site for this airport is going to be at Kura, along Naka road, about 12 kilometres from Makurdi town because of the proximity to the Industrial layout”.
Although the Information commissioner expressed doubts about the possibility of the Governor Samuel Ortom-led administration to complete the airport project, he believe that the Civil Aviation Airport would be a value addition to the socio-economic growth of the state.
“The next administration can equally continue with the project but the good news is that this administration pressed for the approval of this airport and we got it”.
He said the choice of the location was appropriate as cargoes landing from the airport would be taken to the industrial layout on record time.
Besides, the Abia State Government is wrapping up plans to build its own airport in Aba.
But, experts in the sector are not comfortable with the proposals, describing it as misplaced priority.
President of industry safety advocacy and think tank group, Aviation Round Table Safety Initiative (ASRTI), Dr. Gabriel Olowo, has queried the rush for establishment of more airports by state governments, claiming that most of the aerodromes are not commercially viable.
Rather, Olowo said efforts should be geared towards developing hubs at the major airports in the country, especially at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos with so many terminals to attract more traffic and airlines.
Olowo observed that most of the airports apart from the ones in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt are not commercially viable.
According to him, facilities that would make the existing airports a hub are still lacking in most of the country’s airports and mentioned the absence of concourse light train network to connect domestic terminals and International Terminals and vice versa both in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.
He said the government should focus on the Installation of modern technology facilities like self- checking service kiosk, which are obviously lacking.
Olowo said there exists too many toll gate check-points rather than the many agencies to share data and file a single watch-list with security.
Such development, Olowo said, constitute a major disincentive for hub development.
He said passenger facilitation is made more cumbersome rather than the global effort at making it seamless.
For cargo airports, Olowo lamented the deplorable state of intra and inter – state road linkages to airports wondering how such airports would be useful to farmers and other users to deliver their products .
Olowo emphasised that airports are not only expensive to build because of the many facility linkages but also expensive to maintain.
He submitted that there must be short and long term enforceable plan by succeeding governments before embarking on airport development if government were to be a continuum.
He said: “For Lagos Airport for instance to become a hub, first class and world-class airport transfer connection facility is necessary. Concourse light train should be built to connect the terminals rather than allowing Transit and or Transfer passengers to check out of the customs, burst into the precarious. mammoth crowd in rain and shine with their baggage in order to pick a taxi to the next connecting terminal.
“This is very absurd and a shame at MMA in 45 years of its existence since 1978. Transit/Transfer passengers dread Lagos Airport especially in the evenings. Regarding cargo airports, the roads to take the products to the airports are either not available or in bad shape with high propensity for trucks to tumble and perishable goods destroyed. Explosive goods will also explode. Day old chicken and eggs massively destroyed. States should put their heads together for the establishment of safe, functional and durable interstate road linkages first rather than conceiving the idea of a new agro aerodrome.
“The airport in the Western Region of Ibadan and others like that are still operating below capacity . The geographical neighbouring States should cooperate on road & rail linkages and upgrade the airport to a world class standard for the service of Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti , rather than individual state effort at establishing own airport. Its Bad economics if airports are to deliver economic of scale.
“Airports maintenance are not cheap and must be done routinely. All we need is to make an effort at turning the existing ones , after proper enhancement , into hubs. There must be deliberate effort to develop hubs and not by building non functional airport silos all over the states overstretching the already stressed treasury.”
On the plan by Abia and Edo State governments to build additional airports in their states, Olowo described it as good politics but bad economics.
He said: “What is the status of once glorious Benin Airport.? Why not revisit the old ruins?”
He wondered if the state governments had short term and long term development plans for their states, stressing that each state should necessarily have five to10-year development plan for their states, which must be strictly honored by subsequent leadership.
He said: “The government should prioritise the need of the people ranging from basics of life like food, shelter, heath, education.
“Airport construction goes beyond acquiring hectares of land without perimeter fencing , compromising safety of operations ab initio, construct substandard runways that will be washed away in one or two raining seasons.
It is a highly capital intensive project that should be embarked upon after a robust bankable projection. No thanks to the many abandoned airport projects by the states that are yet begging for funding. A case study of the State of Osun.”
An airline during one of the ARSTI breakfast meeting, revealed that it had to install a transformer at an export to supply power for airport lighting facilities so as to deliver night flight operations to that airport.
The transformer was even said to be burgled after sometime by miscreants. This, the carrier said, is expectedly a service that should be provided by the airport company but could not due to lack of funds.
Also, former President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) Mr Bernard Bankole, said: “This is another misplacement of priority. Agro-cargo airport is a capital project. It is easier to make money and name when you embark on a capital project. None of them wants to come in and continue on any legacy project not completed by their predecessors because the people will ask them what they did.
“However, there is nothing actually wrong if they get their priority right. You cannot be in a state where all the interstate roads are bad and agro is the priority. You cannot be in a state where all the schools are mushrooms and teachers’ salaries are not paid and then say agro is what is important to you. The government needs to get their priorities right. The concept is a beautiful one, but it is about setting priorities right.”