Local airlines have refused to use the newly launched Ebonyi airport due to issues with its runway. Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has come under criticism for allocating N13.7bn for repairs, just six months after the airport’s inauguration. The facility, initially costing N36bn according to former Governor David Umahi, has raised questions about the need for additional expenditure
On Thursday, April 26, 2023, the Ebonyi airport was launched with two inaugural flights of Air Peace aircraft touching down on the runway of the airport.
The ceremony was attended by top federal and state government officials as well as dignitaries across the country.
The same day, the then governor of the state, David Umahi, named the airport after the then President Muhammadu Buhari, but later changed it to Chuba Okadigbo International Airport.
The then-governor assured citizens and residents of the state the project would deliver goods and increase the fortunes of the state. The airport has however remained a subject of discourse among both economic and non-economic experts.
Sadly, a few months after the inauguration, news started making the rounds that the Ebonyi airport runaway had developed problems.
As such, airlines boycotted landing at the new airport. Unfortunately, the airport which is barely seven months old has yet to yield any revenue into the coffers of the state government which needs revenue to pursue its growth and development agenda.
The development has elicited criticisms and other stakeholders.
Following the challenges with the runway which was reportedly constructed using concrete technology; the Federal Ministry of Aviation recommended the use of asphalt to overlay the runway to fix the defects, according to the new Ebonyi governor.
Nwifuru said the ministry’s recommendation followed futile engineering attempts by the state government to tackle the construction defects of the concrete runway.
However, the plan to spend an additional N13.7bn has elicited criticisms from several citizens and stakeholders. The new cost is expected to raise the total cost of the project to about N49.6bn.
They said spending such an amount would have been unnecessary if the former governor had carried out due diligence and used the right technology.
The new governor, who recently admitted the construction defect challenges with the runway, also said some concerned Nigerians had called him over the problem.
He said, “A governor called me and we discussed at length on the approval of N13.75b for the airport that is deemed to have been completed and handed over. The question that the governor asked me is the question every reasonable Ebonyi man is asking. The truth is that the mindset of those that started the airport is germane; but did we get it right? In the area of runway, we didn’t get it right because the runway is jumping and it is destroying aircraft tyres. Initially, we thought the problem was caused by the expansion joints.
