THE Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday disclosed that a Lufthansa aircraft has been stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for three days having suffered a broken landing gear trying to land at the airport’s damaged runway.
He has therefore restated the federal government’s determination to close down the airport for six weeks to enable it to rehabilitate the runway.
Speaking at the Second Presidential Business Forum at the Conference Centre of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, he said there was no going back on the plan to shut down the airport for six weeks.
He was responding to the concerns of the negative impact of the closure of the airport raised by the President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Frank Udenba-Jacobs, who made a presentation on behalf of the Organised Private Sector (OPS).
Amaechi said the airport has outlived it’s 20 years life-span and was now in its 34th year, adding that the work to be done was not just repairs but complete re-building of the airport.
He explained that the entire architecture of the runway from bottom to top has collapsed and was totally unsafe to continue to use the runway.
The minister also said working on the facility at night alone would not be enough.
He said: “We are not going back on closure of Abuja airport. I understand that Lufthansa landed and damage their gear and have been here for three days. The runaway was built to last for 20 years but it has been in use now for 34 years.
“We cannot do it only at night. We don’t want to loose anybody. We are not repairing but rebuilding. If anything happens you will ask us to resign and we don’t want to resign”.
The Presidential Business Forum, provides a platform for government to engage and interact with the private sector to keep them abreast with government’s policies, programmes and activities, is presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
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