The Federal Government has said the measures it put in place to ensure comfort and safety of travelers using the Kaduna International Airport are working satisfactorily.
This was stated in Abuja on Tuesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, after he led a team of 40 journalists on a tour of the train terminal in Abuja and the Kaduna International Airport.
“We set out this morning to show you how the train service works, some experiencing it for the very first time. We saw firsthand how passengers transfer from the tarmac to Abuja, either by train or by coach and we all came back (to Abuja) by road. You saw the level of security all along the way. I am very satisfied with all the measures,” he said
Saying that a lot of planning and innovation have gone into making the Kaduna International Airport a viable alternative to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the minister added that government had anticipated some of the challenges being experienced, as a result of the diversion of huge volume of air traffic to Kaduna.
“But Nigerians have risen to the challenge to ensure seamless operation at the airport,” he said.
While passionately appealing to Nigerians for their patience, as two weeks have already elapsed out of the six weeks earmarked for the reconstruction of the NAIA runway in Abuja, Mohammed said, “The issue is not whether Abuja Airport has failed or whether we have to close the airport temporarily. The issue is have we done all that is necessary to ensure minimal disruption to airline services, to ensure minimal inconvenience for passengers and members of the public and to ensure security of lives and ensure that safety is paramount?
“I think I will answer the four questions in the affirmative; that we have done all that ought to be done within a very short time to provide these. It’s not a perfect situation. In other words, there is no way we can replicate Abuja in Kaduna within the time frame, but if the objective is to ensure seamless operation and minimal disruption to services, absolute safety and security, I think we have done well,”
Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said the measures that have been put in place for seamless air operation in Kaduna include: construction of the perimetre fencing and roads, installation of instrument landing system, completion of the terminal building, fixing of runway markings, deployment of Mobile Control Tower, designation of the Hajj Terminal for domestic passengers and the Terminal Building for International Passengers, and provision of buses to take passengers from Abuja to Kaduna.
The team of Journalists led by the Minister of Information and Culture inspected the Railway Terminal at Idu on the outskirts of Abuja before departing by rail to Kaduna, where the team also inspected the Port Health Section, VIP lounge, Immigration and Customs.
After the inspection of the railway terminal at Idu on the outskirts in Kaduna, the team of journalists returned to Abuja by road in order to experience firsthand the level of security along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
