
The federal government has dismissed reports by a newspaper that the
re-modelling of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano is
responsible for low passengers’ traffic at the airport, saying the
present security situation in the city was responsible.
Reacting
to the report, General manager, Corporate Communications of Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the
transformation of the airport ought to open it to floodgate of patronage
and not the other way round.
According to him, the low level
passengers’ traffic into the airport can be traced easily to the
security situation in Kano, fuelled by the activities of the
fundamentalist Islamic group, Boko Haram.
Dati noted that improved security in Kano would boost air travel in the city.
“The
newspaper also alleged that there was sabotage by the Federal Airports
Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and the Ministry of Aviation to make the
terminal and perhaps the airport dormant, but this is not true.
“We
wish to state that Kano has been and will continue to be one of the
major airports in Nigeria and it is because of the importance attached
to the airport that FAAN embarked on rebuilding the domestic terminal
which was commissioned in early 2011.
“When the Minister of
Aviation, Stella Oduah visited the Kano airport and was shocked at the
decrepit state of the international terminal, she immediately embarked
on its remodelling. In addition to that, the Minister immediately
designated the airport perishable cargo airport and embarked on building
a perishable cargo terminal as well as another international terminal
at the airport. Work on the projects would soon be started as contracts
for them have been awarded,” Dati said.
“Ironically, no airport in
this country has been so improved; yet this newspaper which styles
itself as the voice of the north is misinforming Nigerians and showing
so much ignorance.
“If the terminal or the airport is alleged to
be dormant, it means that there is low passenger movement and it is not
the responsibility of FAAN or the Ministry of Aviation to attract the
passengers to the airport.
“The
under-utilisation of the airport could be explained by the security
situation in Kano and we believe that if the state government is working
effectively with the Federal Government which has made efforts to
eliminate insurgents in the north, air travellers will start coming to
Kano and airlines which had already been designated will feel safe to
operate from the airport.
“The report cited other airports such as
the ones in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Enugu as airports that are
active and supposedly with completed remodelled airport terminal
facilities. The newspaper exposed crass ignorance in the report because
there is no international terminal at Enugu airport.
“The project
that was commissioned recently in Enugu was the remodelled domestic
terminal and work is still going on for the installation of such
equipment as conveyor belt, electronic check in counters and others.
“We
also wish to say that in terms of facilities, the Kano airport is ahead
of others in this country; that Port Harcourt terminal project is yet
to be completed and that for now, the remodelled terminal at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is designated for domestic
operations but both international and domestic services are still
emanating from the facility until the international terminal is built.
“The
problem of Kano airport is the issue of security in Kano. If this
newspaper is actually the voice of the north, it should almost on daily
basis write editorials on how to restore Kano to its glorious past. It
is when this is done that the airport would begin to witness increased
passenger movements that will boost the utilisation of the airport.
“We
also wish to say that although the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos provides over 80 per cent of FAAN’s revenue; yet the Kano
domestic and international airport terminals were completed before that
of Lagos. In fact, work is still going on at the international terminal
of the Lagos airport and it is hoped it will be commissioned later this
year.
“It is also mischievous for the newspaper to choose to
interview anonymous persons who showed so much ignorance about the
workings of the Kano Airport, instead of talking to professionals who
would give the reporters accurate information.
“Such accurate
information that the conveyor belt installed at the Kano airport, will
take five minutes and not two hours to move bags from the airside to
passengers and that all equipment it mentioned, including X-ray machines
have been installed and that the terminal is ready to facilitate
passenger movement.
“The unseen hands influencing such subjective
and decisive editorials claim ignorance of the fact that the airport
remodelling projects began in the North with the commissioning of the
Hajj Terminals in Kano and Kaduna Airports by no less personalities than
the Sultan of Sokoto and speaker of the House of Representatives,
respectively.
“They could claim more “northerners” than this
highly respected Northerners, including the Governor of Central Bank,
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who commissioned the remodelled
International terminal of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport
and commended President Goodluck Jonathan, especially for transforming
the airport after many years of neglect.”