The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Bello, and the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, visited the construction site of the second runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday. They urged the construction company to intensify its efforts and complete the project before the current administration’s handover date of 29 May 2023.
During the visit, the aviation minister thanked the FCT minister for allocating 12,000 hectares of land for the development, describing the initiative as an “aviation city” that will include hotels, shopping malls, schools, cinemas, hospitals, a cargo hub, and facilities for the national carrier. Sirika said the city will also host an aviation leasing company and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, positioning it as a legacy project that will boost economic activity across the country.
The FCT minister pledged full support for the project, emphasizing that indigenous communities stand to gain the most through increased economic activity and employment opportunities. He urged the contractor to work round the clock to meet the schedule, noting that compensation procedures are well established and have never halted a project in the FCT’s history. Bello called on the chief of the Jiwa community, Idris Musa, to continue providing leadership, calling the project “a golden opportunity” that will transform the social, economic, and political landscape of the FCT. He assured that all stakeholders, including traditional authorities, are committed to preventing any hindrance to the project’s progress.
Chief Idris Musa of Jiwa responded by promising the cooperation of the indigenous community with the FCT administration for the completion of both the runway and the aviation city. He reported that enumeration of the acquired land has been completed, except for 20 hectares, and urged that compensation be promptly paid to the affected communities.
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