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Repair work commences at Abuja airport – NAN

Repair work commences at Abuja airport – NAN

NAN-H-48

Rehabilitation

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, March 9, 2017 (NAN) The rehabilitation work has commenced at the closed Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A NAN correspondent who visited the airport reports that the contractor, Julius Berger Plc, has commenced the work at the site.

The report said that the airport runway was cleared of unwanted equipment and aircrafts while Julius Berger vehicles were seen moving construction equipment to the site on Thursday.

Mrs Hajara Musa, the Manager, International Terminal, told NAN that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had handed over the runway to the contractor.

Musa disclosed that the company had already done the marking to clearly indicate the runway had been closed to landing.

According to her, FAAN management has handed over the airport runway rehabilitation to Julius Berger Plc, which is on the ground carrying materials from one place to the other.

On the movement of passengers to Kaduna, Musa said that the management was alive to its responsibility by putting measures in place to achieve the desired result.

She said that FAAN had been able to identify some of its shortcomings and had started working to improve on them.

“No matter the plan that is being put in place you have to practicalise before you know its shortcomings and we are just starting and gradually there will be more improvement.

“We have made arrangement for the signage that will direct the passengers to the entry points where they should be.

“We have more than 10 buses as five have left for Kaduna, these will convey passengers back to Abuja if they so wish.

“We have successfully loaded four buses as at 10 a.m today and as more passengers are coming, they will be screened and subsequently transported to Kaduna,’’ she said.

Also, Mrs Ladi Salami, the Manager, General Aviation Terminal (GAT) and Protocol Lounge, said that all chartered flight passengers would also enjoy the free bus ride to Kaduna.

Salami said that there was a synergy between the GAT, the domestic and international terminals on the arrangement for the transportation of passengers to Kaduna airport.

She said that the GAT was purely for chattered flights which had an average of 50 to 60 flights per day.

According to her, all the airlines operating chartered flight here have equally moved to Kaduna and that is why the apron is empty now.

A Benin-bound passenger, Mr Johnson Erijo, and member of the Delta House of Assembly, commended the Federal Government for the arrangement it had put in place to transport passengers to Kaduna.

Erijo told NAN that he did not pay any additional fee other than the money he paid for his ticket.

“The arrangement for now is perfect though I don’t know what it will become later, but what I’m experiencing the operation is seamless and working fine,’’ he said.

Prof. Ladipo Dolapo, said the screening of passengers in Abuja airport was necessary for the purpose of safety of passengers, adding that there might be no need for another screening at Kaduna.

Dolapo stated that even though the journey to Kaduna before taking flight to Ibadan could be stressful, he still preferred to travel by air because of bad road.

According to him, “the screening of passengers is also okay by me as that is for our safety because we need to be conscious of safety procedures’’.

“However, I hope the journey from here to Kaduna goes well as I’m told that the buses are equipped with security personnel for safety of passengers.

“The journey looks stressful because this morning I thought of taking taxi cab to Ibadan from Abuja, which takes about nine hours.

“Now I’m at the airport at 9 o’clock and my flight is 4 p.m, and I may get to Ibadan at 4 o clock, so it comes to the same thing.

“The roads are indeed bad, it is my prayer that government improves these roads, because the roads are bad, but nevertheless we take as it comes,’’ the don said.

NAN recalls that the Federal Government on Wednesday closed down the airport temporarily for six weeks to allow a seamless repair of the runways after more than 20 years of construction. (NAN)

OYS/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Defence/Security

Audio Attached: FRSC establishes 8 outposts, 4 ambulance points on Abuja-Kaduna road

NAN-DS-6

Establishment

By Harrison Arubu

Abuja, March 6, 2017 (NAN) The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has set up additional eight outposts and four ambulance points on the Abuja-Kaduna Road.

This is in furtherance of the planned temporary closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The spokesman of the Corps, Mr Bisi Kazeem, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that the additional formations were to enable the corps to effectively manage anticipated traffic increase on the route within the period of the Abuja airport closure.

 Cue in audio (Kazeem)  

“The newly established ones with the closure of the Abuja aiport are Idu Railway Station, which now has an outpost and ambulance point;

“Madalla with outpost; Tafa with an outpost and ambulance point; Jere with an outpost;

“Alheri Camp with an outpost; Barkin Ruwa with an outpost and ambulance point; Rugasa Railway Station, outpost and Kaduna Airport with an outpost and ambulance point.

“This has entailed us posting 27 officers and 65 marshals to these newly established outposts. And we have equally added a tow truck for removal of obstructions.’’

Cue out audio

The spokesman explained that there five outposts on the Abuja-Kaduna axis before the additional eight were set up, thus bringing the total to 13.

The Federal Government had earlier announced plans to shut down the Abuja airport for a six-week period beginning from Wednesday to pave for maintenance work on its runway.

During the period, flights will be diverted to neighbouring Kaduna Airport from where passengers to or from Abuja will travel by rail or road, aviation authorities said.

The Abuja airport hosts about 11,000 passengers daily, according to Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, the Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)

The diversion of these passengers to the Kaduna airport is expected to put more pressure on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

The FRSC spokesman appealed to motorists on the route to be patient with road safety officials and obey traffic regulations to avoid unnecessary crashes.

Kazeem said: “For the six weeks, we will be up and doing. We have established checks and balances to make sure that our men posted there are up and doing in order to achieve the ultimate goal of zero crash.

“We should reduce our speed while on this road because traffic will be heavy.

“We should make sure that our vehicles are maintained so that we don’t unnecessarily cause breakdown on that particular road and other traffic rules and regulations adhered to.

“We will go all out to enforce the law especially on speed limit, overloading, dangerous driving, wrongful and dangerous overtaking, phoning on wheels and drunk driving, among others.’’

Kazeem said the new formations would remain after the six-week period. (NAN)

ARU/HAS/YEE

Edited by Hajiya Sani/Emmanuel Yashim

==============================

General news

Closure of Abuja Airport: Stakeholders express divergent views

Closure of Abuja Airport: Stakeholders express divergent views

NAN-H-13
Stakeholders
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, Jan. 5, 2017 (NAN) Aviation Stakeholders on Thursday expressed divergent views on the proposed closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for six weeks and the use of Kaduna Airport as alternative.

Mr Noggie Meggison, Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), during a Stakeholder’s Forum organised by the Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, in Abuja, said the operators would support the government.

Meggison said that AON was in total support of the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport runway which he described as long overdue and had become a safety concern.

He drew the attention of the government to possibility of carrying out the repairs on the runway at night while flights would be operating in the day time.

Meggison said the operators were of the opinion that repairs of the runway could be carried out between 6 p.m and 6 a.m, while flight operations could take place in the day time.

According to him, Gatwick airport has 400,000 passengers in a year and Abuja has only 14,000 passengers, and we have that kind of volume and Gatwick didn’t close for repair, we also can operate.

The chairman, who commended the minister for his forthrightness in piloting the affairs in the sector, said there had been a lot of actions by Sirika in the sector since he assumed office.

He, therefore, urged the government to explore possibility of carrying out the repairs on the runway at night while flights would be operating in the day time.

Similarly, Mr Osho Joseph, Representative of Foreign Airlines in Abuja, said that Kaduna might be an alternative for local airlines, but not for foreign airlines at the moment.

Joseph also suggested that February to March could have been the ideal time for the closure to beat onset of rainfall.

The Deputy British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, express readiness to support the government throughout the period of the closure.

She debunked the insinuations that the government of Britain might close down its embassy in Abuja, saying the country would stand by Nigeria at all times.

The Representative of Gov. Nasir El’rufai of Kaduna State, Mr Gambo Hamza, assured of the State Government’s readiness to ensure smooth operations during the period.

He said that the government had begun cleaning up of the airport, adding that adequate security arrangement had been put in place. (NAN)
OYS/FAT/MST

Edited by Fati Sule/Muhammad Suleiman Tola