Deji Elumoye in Abuja
A member of the National Assembly, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, has said that the Akanu Ibam international airport in Enugu, which was re-opened last weekend, will boost the nation’s economic growth.
Nnamani, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, while expressing delight on the reopening of the airport after the repairs, was optimistic that the economy of the nation especially in the eastern region that was on a low ebb because of the shutdown aggravated by the outbreak of coronavirus would now pick up.
According to him, “I welcome the news of the reopening of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport that serves as the gateway to the Igbo area of Nigeria with excitement.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Co-operation and Integration in Africa/NEPAD paid glowing tribute to the Governor of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for his leading role in the actualization of the project.
“It is ennobling that Governor Ugwuanyi has lived up to the expectation of overseeing the primary and central city of Igbo land. He did not only coordinate, organize and champion the activities but he was directly involved on a daily basis.
“This is consistent with the role expected of the Governor of Enugu State to symbolize total Igbo social and cultural appropriation of the city of Enugu,” he said.
The former two-time governor of Enugu State, however, advised airport users not to allow the excitement of the reopening to undermine the adherence to all the COVID-19 protocols, saying that the health of citizens matters.
The Enugu airport had earlier been closed for 370 days by the aviation authorities because of safety concerns including the hitherto faulty runway surface and navigational aids in order to meet international standards.
