… Governor says he has no information on Amosun’s project
BY ABISOYE JOHNSON
THE Ogun State Government has said it will continue with its plan to construct an agro-cargo airport in the state, instead of a passenger airport.
Governor Dapo Abiodun said the joint inter-ministerial committee in the state evaluated the cargo airport project and prioritised it above the Ewekoro passenger airport.
He therefore said the decision to continue with the agro-airport project, located in Ilishan-Remo, was made by the committee.
The Governor spoke when he received the Senate Committee on Aviation, led by Senator Smart Adeyemi, at the Exco Chamber of the Governor’s Office, in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Stressing the need for an agro-cargo airport, Abiodun said it had a great potential to aid the overall development of Ogun State in particular and Nigeria in general.
The project was initiated by the Gbenga Daniel administration in 2007.
The immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in 2018, however, opted for a passenger airport, to be located at Ewekoro, owing to the ability of such a project to open up the state for sustained development.
Amosun, who led officials of the various ministries to the project site at the weekend, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and relevant government’s ministries and agencies for their support for the project.
He said, “This is not the first time they will be coming here (Federal Government officials). They’ve been here, probably 10 times. And I want to place on record the support of Mr. President for this project. If we were not getting his support, we would probably have not moved this far. Mine is just to show appreciation and thank them and commend them.
“For me, if it’s possible for us to have 10 airports, so be it. I’ll be happy. But I want to safely say that by the benevolence of the Almighty, this airport will see the light of the day. Pictures don’t lie. You can zoom your cameras; you would see that the runway is already established. This is not just a game, but a result of hard work and the support we are getting from the Federal Government.
“This is a Federal Government project no doubt. And I am sure that the Federal Government doesn’t want to waste their money. They would not be appropriating for a project that they don’t want to finish.”
But Abiodun maintained that a lot of visible work had commenced on the agro-cargo airport project, which he said had the approval of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
He however claimed that the Amosun administration did not include details of the Ewekoro project in its handover note.
He said, “This administration is deliberate and methodical. The need to have a cargo airport was made by our joint inter-ministerial committee and we consequently evaluated the initiatives that were started by previous administrations because government is a continuum.
“After a thorough evaluation, the choice of the airport cargo, located in Ilishan, was unanimous; it complements the Agric/processing factories ecosystem in that corridor.
“To that extent, our decisions are guided by the principles of good governance. Is it fair, just and equitable to all? Is the process transparent and inclusive? Did the people have input? Is it of economic importance or value? Will it possibly impact the lives of our people? As we must hold ourselves accountable at all times. Afterall, the people are the essence of governance and we are only holding the office in trust for them.”
He added, “Again, government is a continuum, we are completing this project that was conceptualised by a previous administration same way we have completed other projects (like) roads, bridges, hospitals and schools that were started by the previous administration. Our decisions are always based on the economic value and benefits to our people.
“Comparatively on the other proposed airport location, we did not find any details or information in any handover notes as it all seems to be shrouded in secrecy.”
