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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The re-awarding of the construction of the Gusau international airport by the Zamfara State government to the tune of N62.8 billion, has elicited condemnation.
Recall that the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, alongside the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, laid the foundation for the project recently in Gusau.
But the Executive Director of Patriot for Advancement of Peace and Social Development, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, argued that the money was way above the N11.5 billion the former governor, Bello Matawalle, voted for the same project.
Shinkafi, in a statement yesterday, questioned why governor Lawal did not continue with the same project previous administrations started, and why the rush since the matter was still in court, if he had no ulterior motives.
“Aware that the matter was in court, Governor Lawal brazenly re-awarded the airport project to the staggering tune of ₦62.8bn, about 600% increase compared with the ₦11.5bn sum awarded to AVIC International Engineering Limited by the Bello Matawalle’s administration.
“Since governance is a continuum, the people of Zamfara State expected Dauda Lawal to continue with the airport project as his predecessors did from 2008 – 2023, and invite the Minister of Aviation or another national leader to commission it, instead of wasting tax payers money on a jamboree called re-flag off construction of Gusau International Cargo Airport.
“The funds he wasted on this ill-conceived jamboree should have been redirected for the maintenance and rehabilitation of Gusau Water Board etc.
“It is absurd, inconceivable and preposterous that an ongoing project would be revoked and re-awarded for a whopping ₦62.8bn, thus making it one of the most expensive airports in Nigeria compared with the Ogun State Cargo International Airport ₦40bn, Lafia Airport, Nasarawa State ₦40bn (uncompleted), Wachakal Airport, Damaturu, Yobe State ₦18bn, Dutse International Airport, Jigawa ₦20bn etc.
“Indeed, Zamfara State is in dire need of a visionary, purposeful, resourceful and people-oriented leader whose government will formulate policies and execute projects that will touch the lives of the long-suffering citizens in tandem with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, not a grandstanding, propagandist and squandermania as obtainable in the state today.
“The good people of Zamfara State now long for the old good days of Governor Bello Matawalle’s administration (2019 – 2023).”
Also, he contended that the governor was economical with the truth when he alleged that Matawalle earmarked ₦13.3bn for the construction of the Airport Terminal building and expended ₦6.3bn, and nothing to show for it during the recent re-flag off construction of the airport project.
