By Haliru Abdul
Governor Ahmed Ododo just signed a historic agreement heralding the commencement of Airport project in Kogi State. Usually, such an endeavor will require certain preliminary studies that will eventually guide the Governor in arriving at such Important decision.
While the Studies bothering on Environmental impact assement, Economic viability, opportunity cost viz a viz other sectors requiring interventions are not public, Publicly available data would clearly points to the project as just an ego trip and a collosal waste of Public funds.
By 2024 – 2025, only four Airports in Nigeria were commercially viable. Lagos,Abuja,Port Harcourt and Kano Airport. Lagos accounted for 67% of total FAAN revenue with the remaining 3 accounting for 33%.
Kogi State is among the states with the lowest allocation in Nigeria with current revenue that can barely meet state obligations. Allocating a collosal sum into a project that will not benefit the state at this point is a great disservice to our dear state.
Historical precedence will no doubt shed more light on this. There are seven States bordering FCT with airports. Nassarwa State Airport has not seen upto three flights in three years. The airport in Minna Niger State has no single commercial flight from any where in Nigeria. Kaduna is the same story as well.
A commercial arrangement to partner with Dangote and expand the current airfield at Obajana would have been a more pragmatic and cost saving measure if we really need an airport.
Less than twenty appointees of this Governor can afford a flight ticket from Lokoja to Lagos if an Airport is built.
Alternatively, the State Buys well,air-conditioned luxurious buses that will Ferry Travellers from various destinations across the states to their intended destination .
Presently, the Lokoja water works is moribound. Only one of the three State universities is fully funded using funds from Local Government. There are not standard Hotels to lure tourism and the roads in and around the state in catastrophically riddled with potholes and death traps. This huge investment in a project with no direct bearing on the quality of lives in the State should be suspended and funds diverted into funding health care and other programs with benefit.
Written BY Haliru Abdul.
