Akwa Ibom is emerging Aviation hub in Nigeria – Iniobong Essien
The Chairman, Ibom Airport Development Company Limited (IADC), Dr. Iniobong Essien says with the huge investment at Obong Victor Attah International Airport by the Udom Emmanuel’s administration, Akwa Ibom State will soon emerge as the destination for Aviation Sub-sector in Nigeria.
The former Commissioner for Environment, who stated this in an interview with newsmen, commended the governor’s vision and for taking the aviation sector in the state to another level, noting that the investment in the sector will soon yield tremendous dividends that will transform the state economy and Nigeria in general.
He noted that the construction of Maintenance, Repairs, Overall (MRO) and the Airport International terminal building, the parallel run-way, and the planned cargo terminal are value-added tools in the aviation sector capable of benefitting the people of Akwa Ibom State and the country in general.
He said: “The MRO alone, when completed, is going to generate over 300 jobs and it is going to be completed in the life of this administration. A lot of people will be trained as engineers and most of those that will be trained will be Akwa Ibom indigenes and jobs will also be created for the people of the state.
“”Also, when the MRO begins operations many airlines will be coming into Akwa Ibom which will also boost the tourism sector in the state and revenue will also be generated.
“”The Aviation sector offers a major gateway in the development of he state. Some of the things that have been put up in the airport will be better appreciated in the nearest future. Some of us may not appreciate what the governor has done so far in the sector but for some of us at the airport we understand what the governor has done.
“”The International Terminal Building is a smart building that is expected to take up to a million passengers every year that will have a ripple effect in the state economy.””
The Chairman called on Akwa Ibom people to key into the economic boom that is about to hit the state through the investment at the Victor Attah International Airport.
“”The question I asked is are we getting ourselves ready for the kind of development that will follow in terms building hotel accommodations and other infrastructure that’ll be needed because a lot of people will be flying in and out of the state and that means a lot to the state economy. So, we must be prepared for the kind of development that’ll soon hit the state.
He further explained that the Parallel Run-way is also nearing completion, noting that the A3 end of it is ready and marked while the other end will be ready for use before December 2022.
“I will also like to mention that even with the scarcity of aviation fuel there is a depot at the airport where aviation fuel is made available to any plane that comes in. These are huge investments and I must commend the governor’s vision in this direction,” he said.
On the sustainability of Ibom Air beyond the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel, the chairman posited that the company is set up as an independent company which does not allow government interference in the management structure and in the day-to-day day running of the business.
The medical doctor- turned- politician noted that though Governor Emmanuel inherited the vision of the airport he has fast tracked development at the airport.
“”His Excellency, Obong Victor Attah had a beautiful vision of the airport and started a process. Another governor came in, Senator Godswill Akpabio who landed the first plane there and started putting together some of the structures that have been envisaged to start the process. So, what His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, has done is that he has fast-tracked aviation development and take it to such a level that even the country begins to marvel the vision we have here in the state,” he remarked.
He expressed optimism that if Pastor Umo Eno who is the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate is given the chance to govern the state he will take development in the aviation sector to another level and urged the people of the state to support the aspiration of Pastor Umo Eno to emerge as the next governor as he has the capacity to transform the state.
