About three years after the commissioning of Lafia Cargo Airport in Nasarawa State, the facilities are fast deteriorating.
Checks by LEADERSHIP Friday revealed that the airport has been somewhat abandoned amid a federal government takeover, with its facilities allowed to rot away.
Among the facilities affected are the cargo area, whose structure has long collapsed; an office block near the cargo section, part of which has also fallen; and the weather control building, which is also showing signs of rot.
Our correspondent also noticed that floods have also severely damaged part of the access road within the facility, with the connecting eastern axis already collapsed and in disuse.
The floods thoroughly washed away the sand underneath the asphalt, cutting through the road and making it inaccessible.
Our correspondent noticed some danger signs on the collapsed road, probably put in place by security guards guarding the facility to warn unsuspecting members of the public about the development.
One of the security guards at the facility blamed the decay on a lack of activities and maintenance.
He said the airport’s official takeoff was delayed due to issues surrounding the takeover deal between the state government and federal government.
The airport project was conceived by the former state governor, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, as part of a move to open the state to investment opportunities.
The airport, whose project cost was estimated at about N10 billion, was also intended to ease cargo traffic at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
A-Makura’s successor, Governor Abdullahi Sule, had promised that the project would be delivered by the end of 2021.
Sule, who assumed office in May 2019, announced the completion of the project towards late 2021.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the facility in February 2022, even though work on the control tower was ongoing.
In July 2022, Governor Sule hinted at a plan by the federal government to take over the facility.
In September 2022, a federal government team inspected the facility before the final takeover following a deal with the state government.
The permanent secretary, Mrs. Suzette Taylor-Lee Chee, led the delegation from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.
According to the leader of the federal government team, the inspection was part of the process leading to the refund of the amount the state government expended.
After the inspection, the delegation’s leader assured that the ministry would get the Federal Executive Council’s approval for the money in a couple of weeks.
Our correspondent gathered that FEC approved the reimbursement in May 2023 through “a promissory note in the sum of N9,000,542,651,786.11 issued to the Nasarawa State Government as a refund for the takeover of the newly constructed Nasarawa Airport.”
It was also learnt that both chambers of the National Assembly approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for the development separately in October 2024.
Our correspondent could not, however, confirm whether the money has been refunded to the state government as expected.
When contacted, the head of press, Federal ministry of aviation and aerospace development, Odutayo Oluseyi said he was currently on leave and did not have access to information now.
Al-Makura Speaks
Speaking about the development, former Governor Al-Makura, whose administration conceived the idea of the project, described the situation as sad.
He said the airport was built up to standard, stating that aviation experts had praised the level of work and facilities put in place.
He said deterioration may have set in because of period of non-activity as a result of the takeover deal between the state and federal government.
“I know the negotiations were on, on both sides for the takeover of the project, I don’t know the status of the deal now, but what I can I say is that if it has not been concluded yet, then there is the need to speed up the process so that the new owner can fix the anomaly.
“If on the other hand the takeover process has been concluded, I will like to use this medium to appeal to the federal government to urgently intervene by fixing the problem and putting the facility to effective use,” he said.
According to him, the airport is very essential and would add value to the economic well-being and revenue base of the country and Nasarawa State.
Al-Makura, who is also a former Senator representing Nasarawa South senatorial district, said the airport project was conceived because of the urgent need for the state to diversify its revenue sources in order to remain viable in the face of dwindling allocation from the federation account.
He stated that the facility would be of immense advantage to the federal government economically while also enhancing the revenue status of the state.
FG Yet To Reimburse State Government
LEADERSHIP Friday can confirm authoritatively that the state government is yet to receive the refund of the money it spent in building the project.
Although the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Mr. Peter Ahemba, could not confirm the status of the deal, saying he has no information to do so, a top officer in the works, housing and transportation ministry, told our correspondent in confidence that the state government had not received the money.
“No, the money has not been released, but I can assure you that it will happen soon. Both sides are putting final touches to the document; as soon as that is done, the refund will take place.
“As you are aware, the federal government has been pushing through the various channels, including the National Assembly, to put the money together. I can tell you authoritatively that, that has been done and the money is just awaiting transfer,” he explained.
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