Last week, Ogun State marked the first flight at the new Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport, which is a multipurpose facility that will provide easy movement of goods and services to and from industries in the Ogun industrial corridor. It will also serve as alternative to air freighting and eliminate traffic gridlock from Lagos airport, writes Chinedu Eze
The new Ogun State Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport is meant to serve as cargo and passenger facility from the heavy industries built between the Lagos-Ogun corridor and the Agbara Industrial Layout. It is expected that the airport, which is well located, will provide seamless service for the evacuation of finished products from these companies and delivery of raw materials.
The location of the airport at the off limits of the notorious traffic gridlock that characterises Lagos State, puts the facility in a vantage position to move goods to other parts of the country from the airport. It will also be a rendezvous for the assemblage of farm produce before export, as the government of Ogun State is putting things in place to build aerotropolis at the airport.
This means that agro based factories and others can sprout at the airport. That will give rise to economic community that will create jobs, create revenue for government and expand businesses between the two major states in the South-west.
Commercial Flight
Last week Thursday, the Gateway Agro Cargo International Airport along Iperu- Ilishan road in Ikenne Local Government Area, recorded first commercial flight, which landed at the 4 kilometers runway to the excitement of many indigenes and visitors who came to witness history.
The elated governor of the state, Dapo Abiodun, while addressing the high dignitaries and others who graced the event, recalled how the opposition tried to railroad against the project.
“The construction of the project started April 2021 and will be on record as the fastest built airport anywhere. The test flight despite all odds is very important to us for many reasons. Firstly, it is one of the necessary activities leading to the full certification and licensing of the airport for safe aviation operations. Secondly, it marks the actualisation of a dream, conceived 16 years ago by one of my predecessors Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD). The approval was given in 2008 by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and nurtured by the people of Ogun State. It is testament to what is achievable by being focused, deliberate,resolute committed and audacious. In every way therefore, it is a dream come true,” the governor, said.
He stated that the test flight was therefore a landmark event confirming the determination of this administration to develop an airport of international standards in Ogun State to serve businesses, industry, and the people of the state, adding that the development of the airport was in alignment with the vision of his administration, which is focused on providing an enabling environment forpublic private partnership (PPP). He said he considered PPP as fundamental to economic growth of the state and the prosperity of the people of the state.
Transportation Infrastructure
According to Abiodun, “This administration recognises the vital importance of strategic transportation infrastructure and services in facilitating the efficient and effective mobility of people and goods across and beyond the state and also accessibility to public services, industry and key drivers of economic activity in the state. Therefore, on the assumption of office, we established a ministry of transportation for the first time in the history of the state. Soon after, the Ministry of Transportation, in collaboration with the United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Sector experts from Olabisi Onabanjo University, developed the Transport Policies for the State and subsequently the State’s Strategic Multi-Modal Transportation Master Plan.
“The Master Plan development was based on certain needs such as: Economic and industrial ambition of the state; The need to provide safe and affordable accessibility and mobility options to citizens, businesses, and industry; Provide inter regional and international connectivity for the movement of people and goods in and out of Ogun State; and Provide relief and alternatives to other regional transport sector hubs, particularly Lagos,” Abiodun said.
He also stated that in view of the planned spread of economic activities and clusters across the state coupled with the spatial distribution of current, planned and proposed road and rail transportation networks, the air transportation component of the plan demanded that the facility be located here in the Shagamu Remo nexus of the Lagos – Ibadan and Lagos – Benin Express Way.
“The choice of the location allowed for easy accessible to the different parts of the state, not leaving out Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. The eastern and northern regions of Nigeria will also be easily accessed from this same location.The country is currently vigorously pursuing strategies to promote the export of goods and services, and this airport will be critical in helping to achieve this objective.
“This project is part of an integrated development programme aimed at unleashing the full potential of Ogun State. This airport is located in the Remo economic zone, which houses the Ogun Special Agro Processing Zone (SAPZs) the entirety that we refer to as an Aerotroplois the first in Nigeria. The Ogun SAPZs ground-breaking ceremony was conducted about two months ago, it is PPP between Ogun state Government and Arise LLP a company that specializes in setting up agro value chain development. It promises to offer about 25,000 job opportunities.
This further justified the business case for the construction of this airport,” the governor further said.
He also stated that other complimentary infrastructure project currently being pursued include the development of a Dry Port at Kajola in Ogun Central on the Lagos – Ibadan Rail Line, the commencement the process of the construction of the Olokonla Port, which also was conceived by the previous administration.
“This will go a long way to easing the port congestion and make the Apapa port more efficient. No doubt this airport will become the alternative to Murtala Mohammed International Airport and is already been considered as the export terminal for non-oil in the Southwest.
There is therefore little doubt that the airport development has an established positive business case and that it is a major facilitator of increased economic activity in the state, an investment with expected economic returns in the form of increased tax receipts, employment generation prospects and a multiplier economic driver over and beyond air transportation operations. Furthermore, the federal government is reconstructing the Lagos to Shagamu Express Way and is on the verge of concessioning the Shagamu to Benin Express Way, ensuring safe and efficient land access to the airport and other air ancillary services. This is in addition to the federal government developing the east to west standard gauge rail line linking Lagos to the airport and to the eastern part of the country,” the governor added.
Host Communities
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Abiodun thanked the host communities where the airport is located and said that his administration was mindful of the sacrifices made by the people of Iperu, Ilishan, Ode, Akaka, Irolu and Ilara who had committed more than 10,000 hectares of land to the airport project and have been hosts communities to the significant construction activities in the area.
“The government, in its inclusive approach to governance, undertook in- depth consultations with communities affected and committed to implementing the various recommendations that arose from the Environmental Impact Assessment undertaken prior to the commencement of the project. The design and ongoing construction of the airport are being undertaken in collaboration with the various national and state regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with all state, national, and international standards,” he said.
The governor also explained that the category 4E airport remained one of the best constructed airport in Nigeria, disclosing that it can accommodate an Airbus A380 Boeing B777 and B747 and other unprecedented features of the airport include amongst others a 4 – kilometre runway, a 36-metre-tall control tower, fire station, cargo apron, and terminal buildings. The 82,000 square meter cargo apron for type E and type C aircrafts is completed.
“The government is in negotiation with airport operators with the view to establishing a PPP arrangement for the operation, maintenance and management of the airport facility.The private sector partner is bringing private capital, significant experience and know-how of developing and managing airport facilities and operations in Africa with the view to ensuring a self-financing airport and indeed a net contributor to the state exchequer.Let me state and restate that the official commissioning of this project will take place in a couple months. Today’s event is to set the climate for the final commissioning of the project. Now the naysayers can give up…We will continue to be just fair and equitable,” he said.
Cargo Hub
For easy evacuation of cargo from the new Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport in Ogun State to Lagos, the state government said it would build a rail line linking the airport to Lagos in order to avoid traffic gridlock that characterizes road travel between the two states.
The state Commissioner, Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, said the proximity of the airport to Lagos would enhance further industrialisation of Ogun State where land is abundant for investment in agribusinesses, noting that the airport would provide crucial service for evacuation and distribution of products to other parts of the country as well as importation of raw materials.
He said the project was conceptualised by the state government to create needed infrastructure to boost exportation of agricultural and non-agricultural goods on one hand and on the other hand, to further reinvigorate socio-economic activities for the state.
Akinsanya stated that this would increase revenue generation drive of the state, creation of hundreds of jobs and boost the revenue of the state in the long run.
He added that the cargo airport was designed to be an aerotropolis as it is provided with components such as a special agro processing zone to process raw agricultural material for exports, an international testing centre to certify that agro-produce comply with international standards before they are exported.
He stated that the airport project was in alignment with the focus of the current administration in the state, adding that it is a vital aspect of transportation, which would accelerate development in the state and ensure its expansion.
On the construction of agro-cargo airport by the Ogun State government, aviation travel expert, Ikechi Uko said there was an initial gap in air cargo in Nigeria.
According to him, there is paucity of cargo airports in Nigeria, adding that it is good if one is being built, especially near Lagos. So in order to boost export by air, Nigeria needs more cargo airports and he also canvassed for national policy to drive air cargo movement, noting that there is so much to export from Nigeria but getting an airport is the first step.
Uko said Nigeria imports so much and that it also has the potential to export as much if the country looks inwards because there are so much that can be produced in Nigeria that are demanded by the international community and that having a cargo airport and export processing facility, will make it easier for air cargo export.
“I commend the Ogun State government for building cargo airport. We don’t have enough cargo airports in Nigeria; so this is a good step. Air cargo is very important because if we develop strong cargo export Nigerian will boost its foreign exchange,” Uko said.
The new Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport, Ogun State will create strong alternative, in terms of cargo freighting, to the Lagos airport and also help in decongesting the Lagos facility, especially as the Ogun airport has enough land for business expansion and establishment of agro product processing zones.
