MKO Abiola Airport will trigger economic revolution in Osun ―AG

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state of Osun, Dr. Basiru Ajibola on Tuesday stated that having an international airport at Ido Osun and the concessioning of the project to All Works of Life (AWOL) International Limited will create the long desired boost and turn around for the economic prospect and industrialization template of the 27-year old state.

Dr. Ajibola made this known while responding to questions from media on the various interventions of the Aregbesola administration and the blue book that focuses on the six integral action plan and has been the guiding precepts of the administration.

While speaking on the key distinctive features and pivotal relevance of the airport to the whole of Africa, he said that the runaway according to specifications under construction which is 85% completed will be 3.5km long and the facility will also create good ambience for hanger and aircraft maintenance services which can only be found in Johannesburg South Africa and Ethiopia.

“Its uniqueness will be the ability to energize the haulage system through cargo shipment. Let me assume without conceding for the purpose of this discourse that 5 – 10% of the N69bn earmarked will find its way into the economy of the state through direct engagement of skilled and unskilled workers by the concessionaire, it will galvanize our local economy, not forgetting the fact that the access road to the international airport will be a dual carriage way thereby improving the road infrastructure which will be a value booster for properties and structures in the axis.

“Over time, the offices of statistics and economic planning have been engaged in monitoring the direct and indirect benefits of all our interventions with special cognizance into reduction in unemployment ratio and attendant economic effect, I tell you, the reports computed have always been positive and encouraging”, he said.

He further highlighted the significant improvement in infrastructure of the APC led government in other areas of transportation, our intervention and involvement in the railway services by the movement of Osun indigenes from Lagos to Osogbo during all festive celebrations have engineered the revitalization going on at the NRC, and our vision is to create a mid – regional hub and logistics centre in Dagbolu through the railway for strong economic prosperity in the agro allied sector, he said.

On the financial implication to the purse of the state, Ajibola maintained that only N3.5bn have been spent so far by the government to reconstruct the runaway of the abandoned aerodrome used in air lifting during the second world war, and the creative and ingenuity mechanism of the governor for the betterment of Osun people paved way for the modern technique of project financing to engage AWOL on a BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) which is done in collaboration of the Turkish government, wherein 85% of the N69bn will be sourced from them to cement the export/import partnership development and trade arrangement for technological and expertise contribution of the Turkish government to Africa using the state of Osun as a standard template for its materialization.

“The basic essentials of the airport which are the runway, control tower, terminal building, aviation equipment, regulatory interphase with the FG will be perfected such that a Boeing 747 will taxi from the MKO Abiola International airport in eight months’ time. Last year, N22B was spent for aircraft maintenance by Nigerian, “he concluded.