‘FG to construct Abuja Airport second runway through PPP’

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirikka on Wednesday disclosed plans by the Federal Government to build a second run-way at the Nnamdi Awikwe International Airport Abuja through private public partnership (PPP) funding.

Sirika listed some of the partners in the deal to include CCECC, Julius Berger, Dantata and Sawoe, CRCC and Reynolds.

The minister who spoke while inspecting the run-way constructed in 1982 and designed to last only 20 years has not been repaired in the last 14 years leading to the failure of most part of its portions however, declined to put a figure on the cost of the contract, stating that discussions were still ongoing with the Ministry of Finance and “the contractors would also have to come up with their own quotation before we can say how much it will cost”

Sirika said PPP arrangement was the way to fund the project in view of dwindling revenue and increasing social challenges requiring government attention.

He added that government had also decided to privatise federal airports, starting with, Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano airport through concessioning.

Sirika disclosed that hither to the interim repairs carried out as a short term solution, the length of the runway had to be reduced from 3.62 to 3.2, which meant that certain air planes that required longer runways could not land in Abuja.

He said “FAAN responded and portions of the runway have been repaired but this cannot solve the long term problem, the Federal government approved immediate funds for immediate repair to be carried out. We have been to the Bureau of Public Enterprise to short circuit the process and we have invited local contractors to bid for the repairs,” he stated.