Our cargo airport ready in 6 months –Dr. Aklah, SA, Aviation to Gov Otu

By Chinelo Obogo, [email protected]

In the assessment of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other aviation stakeholders, only two airports, Lagos and Abuja, are viable out of over 20 nationwide.

FAAN Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, recently highlighted the immense resources often poured into airports that struggle to deliver returns and have their balance sheets perpetually in red.

With that troubling reality, many experts question the logic of building more airports, especially when road and rail infrastructure could offer more cost-effective solutions.

However, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State on Aviation,  Dr. Kenn Aklah, offers a different perspective.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, Aklah passionately defended the state’s decision to construct a cargo airport in Obudu, a project now 75% complete. He also told Daily Sun that the passenger traffic figures for Margaret Ekpo Airport, Calabar have been under-reported and do not reflect the reality on ground.

Aklah, who supervises the ongoing construction of the cargo airport at Obudu, insisted that the facility is not merely a transportation hub, but a cornerstone for unlocking the state’s immense economic and tourism potential.

He explained that the state decided to construct its own airport to ensure the projects cited there, including a fully-equipped German hospital, a Canadian University, the Obudu Cattle Ranch and others, are well-optimised to boost the state’s growth in many ways.

He also revealed that not only is the airport 75% gone, the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu, is eager to see it fully completed and commissioned within six months.

While unexpected hurdles may affect the timeline, Aklah said the governor’s resolve to meet the deadline remains strong. Additionally, he revealed that plans are afoot to expand the state’s fleet, with two more aircraft set to join those currently operated by Aero Contractors before the year ends.

Vision behind Obudu cargo airport

The last government cited lots of infrastructure in Obudu, like the Canadian University, a German hospital with world class facilities, then there is Obudu cattle ranch as well and for these to be well optimised and thrive, we need people to be able to access them. You must also remember that this is a state that is known for tourism and we were thinking of how to make our tourism potential even bigger. For these projects to get patronage and boost economic activities, people should be able to reach there both by road and by air. These facilities that are already on ground would waste if there is no solid transport infrastructure to improve accessibility by providing convenient transportation options.

Another reason why this airport was built is because Cross Rivers is also rich in agriculture. A lot of our people are farmers. We have a very big rice factory in Ogoja which has a large output and we need that sector to thrive as well. The distance between Calabar and Obudu by road often exceeds six hours and this can hinder the movement of people, goods and services. This cargo airport would help in addressing this challenge and support the state’s agricultural exports, including flowers, which thrives because of our enabling weather.

Would it not have been cheaper to repair the roads or construct rails instead of an airport?

These options are still on the table and the governor is working very hard to get it done. We conceived the development of the Bakassi seaport which is going to be the deepest and it was to come with an evacuation corridor which is the super highway but we got a lot of criticism especially from environmentalists who thought that the road was going to cause the destruction of our rainforest. Since the highway didn’t materialise, we felt we could start an airport. We have currently gotten approval for the deep seaport and the governor has gotten some funding for a rail line to create a strong transport hub so that the state can do what they are known for.

How far has the project gone?

The entire airport is 75 percent completed. The runway is 3.2 kilometers but we had difficulty in one kilometer and the engineers are trying to get it done. The terminal building is completed and we have taken delivery of three firefighting trucks. The traffic control tower is completed and we are hoping that the entire project would be completed in not less than six months.

How would the new airport compete when the existing one has low passenger traffic?

I think that the data on passenger traffic is under-reported to disfavour us. There are times that you want to fly to Abuja from Calabar and for three days, you would be unable to do so, yet they would tell you that there is low passenger traffic. We don’t understand the politics that is being played but we are working on getting to know what the problem is. I think we need to create a dedicated airline for ourselves and the governor would soon take delivery of new aircraft hopefully before the year ends. If they claim that there is low passenger traffic, how come the ferries that take people from Calabar to Uyo are always booked and busy? The reason is that sometimes you need a flight to Abuja or any other state and because there is no flight, you have to take a ferry to Uyo, then from there to Abuja. If you ask the people who run the ferry businesses, they will tell you that most of those who use the ferry reside in Calabar.

When the aircraft we are expecting comes, it will be stationed at Margaret Ekpo airport for now until this new one we are building is completed. We already have two aircraft with Aero Contractors and when we get more, the governor would decide what to do but what I know for a fact is that the aircraft we are expecting would be dedicated to our route because our people are complaining.

What is the cost of the airport so far?

I cannot put a figure on how much has been spent.

Will the state concession it or hand it over to FAAN?

I am not sure that the state would be thinking of running the airport, but between handing it over to FAAN and concessioning, either of them have their advantages and disadvantages. We are currently working with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and FAAN to ensure that we get everything right. Once we achieve the high quality standards expected of us and the airport is completed, the decision of who would manage it is not something that would take a long time to make. What the governor is more focused on is to see that the quality of the work conforms to international standards.

What time do you expect to complete it?

Our target is that in the next six months, we would be able to commission the airport for operations to commence. But nothing is cast in stone, so we are also putting unforeseen circumstances into consideration that it may take longer than what we anticipate. But our goal is to finish up in six months or even less. All the navigation equipment and all the furnishing for the terminal building are on ground and like I said, the project is 75 percent completed.