The former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, has said the state government is losing revenue due to the continued absence of landing lights at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo.
According to him, this has resulted in the state having only daylight flights and often the diversion of flights to nearby airports in Port Harcourt or Calabar, in Rivers and Cross River States, respectively.
Recall that during last month’s World Cup Qualifier match between South Africa and Nigeria, the South African squad could not fly directly to Uyo but had to be diverted to the airport in Port Harcourt.
Many other business travellers have experienced similar inconveniences due to the absence of landing lights at the Ibom Airport in Uyo.
In an interview with some newsmen in Uyo, the former governor wondered why an airport would operate without night flights, adding that most airports depend on night flights to generate revenue.
He said he suffered when his flight from Lagos to Uyo, scheduled for 5:30 pm, was cancelled because the runway lights were not working, forcing Uyo airport to operate daylight flights only.
His words: “I really cannot understand. This is your main gateway. How can you not make sure it serves its purpose? Night flights are really what most airports depend on.”
He also decried the inability of successive administrations in Akwa Ibom State to complete the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the Ibom airport, saying that it was a necessary facility for the West African region.
“We started an MRO project supported by all the world-leading authorities on MRO. It is a necessary facility for the West African sub-region. To date, it is not operational. I do not want to feel that I am criticizing anybody. I am just wondering, are we saying these things are not necessary, or that the concepts were wrong, or they shouldn’t have been prioritized?
“Because I believe they were, and I would have thought that one should have continued with them because those were big things. There are even small things as well, but my worry is why haven’t these things been done or what have we done instead that is better?”
“It reminds me of those days when we didn’t have mobile telephones in the country. We used to drive to Calabar to make overseas calls, and you could only communicate with countries that have the same daylight time as yourself. It was a serious setback.”
The former governor also expressed displeasure over the inability of the state government to complete the Ibom deep seaport sixteen years after it was initiated, saying he was greatly pained by such failures.
“I do not see how, after these many years, we have not been able to complete the Ibom deep seaport. I know for sure, and this is without any debate or argument, that the Lekki project or Badagry project that you see is copied from the concept we had for the Ibaka deep seaport and an industrial city. They have come alive and are working, but we have not even built the port yet. Those types of things bother me, and I feel pained about it.”
He also expressed displeasure that the University of Science and Technology he established in the state was converted to a conventional institution, adding that the concept behind the university should not have been abandoned.
Source: