BY VICTORIA NGOZI IKEANO
 
victoriangozii@gmail.com  08033077519
 
Construction of airports was exclusive preserve of the federal government until some years ago when state governments engaged in what I term scramble for building of airports which they considered ‘legacy’ project; notwithstanding that they are viewed as being beneficial mainly to the elites in society. As at today, there is an airport in virtually all 36 states of the federation.
 
Advent of state-owned airports dates far back to the Third Republic when there was only one airport in the south-east which was considered by the people as grossly inadequate by for their zone. It was then decided by the old Imo state government to build another one in the state, the heartland of Igboland. As cost of constructing an airport was rather prohibitive for  state governments at the time, it decided to ask for contributions from Imolites and communities; they were more or less, taxed for it. After some years the project commenced until it was eventually completed and named after the first civilian governor of old Imo state as Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri . It could rightly be called a people-owned airport rather than state  owned because it was built from sweat of the citizens, so to speak. Anyway, years later, it was taken over by the federal government, bringing to two, the number of federal and only airports in the south east.
 
Much later in this Fourth Republic, there began a craze for construction of airports by governors whose states do not have any. In this zone,  former Ebonyi state governor now Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi  by end of his two term tenure  built and handed one over to his successor. Ditto immediate past governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano who also built one and had it commissioned in the last days of his administration. Obiano prides himself as having constructed that airport wholly from the state’s resources without taking any loan whatsoever. Ironically all airports built by state governors  were tagged ‘international’. Thus we have Ebonyi International Airport, Abakiliki (officially named Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Abakiliki), Anambra International Airport, Umeri,  officially known as Professor Chinua Achebe International Airport, Umeri. As it stands all five states in the south east now have an  airport except Abia state. You guessed rightly, Governor Alex Otti from the very start of his administration prioritized  building of an airport and you can be sure it shall have the appellation ‘international’ in its name. Preliminary works on it has started.
 
In neighbouring south-south zone, there are three federal-owned airports, viz, Port Harcourt International Airport, (Rivers state), Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar (Cross River State) and Samuel Ogbemudia International Airport Benin (Edo state). The Asaba Airport (Delta state) was initially an airfield used majorly for chartered flights but later upgraded to a full fledged airport by the state government, operating full domestic flights. It is now Stephen Keshi (late Nigeria senior football team captain and coach) Airport. Uyo Airport (Godswill Akpabio International Airport) in Akwa Ibom state was the very first state-owned airport built in this Fourth Republic. It was constructed by incumbent Senate President,  when he was Akwa Ibom’s number one citizen (governor). And current national leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who happens to be immediate past governor of Bayelsa state, Seriaka Dickson, handed over to his successor, Duoyo Diri, the  Yenogoa International Airport built by his administration.
 
For the south-west zone, Lagos, Ibadan and Akure  host federal government-owned airports with Lagos airport (Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja) being the first and oldest airport in Nigeria. The three other states in this zone are building their own airports. These are the Cargo  Airport for Ogun state, Agro-Cargo Airport in Ekiti and the Moshood Abiola Airport in Ido-Osu, Osun state.  Started by the Rauf Aregbesola administration, the latter  appears to be abandoned now, apparently not a priority project for the past and current Osun state governments.  Lagos state government  is planning to have its own state funded airport in Lekki.
 
Up north, here in the north-central zone, the famous Abuja airport (Nnamdi Azikiwe International  Airport) in Nigeria’s federal capital territory, Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos, Plateau state and Ilorin International Airport (Kwarra state)are the three in this zone; all built by the federal government. For the other three, current Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule’s predecessor, Tanko Almakura, started an airport  in Lafia local government area.  It was about 80 percent constructed when he left office upon expiration of his tenure and his successor duly completed it. Its official name is Shehu USman Danfodio  Airport, Lafia. In this his very first term in office, Farmer Umar Mohammed Bago as the Niger state governor likes to be called, renovated, expanded and modernized the  Minna airport, now officially known as Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport . Benue state has no airport per se but the Nigeria Air force base in Makurdi the state capital quite apart from air force operations serves for the landing and take-off of chartered planes flying high-ranking federal and state officials as well as other VIPs to important events.
 
All seven states in the north-west zone have an airport built by the federal government save Zamfara state.  Zamfara has an airstrip in Gusau its capital. Of course  Zamfara before coming of Governor Dauda Lawal was already planning to build its own airport. Lawal shall probably see it to fruition. Kaduna state additionally, has another federal airport in Zaria as well as a military airport while Kebbi state has an airstrip in Tuga.  Of the six states in the north-east zone, Yobe is the only one without an airport. But it has two airstrips located outside  Damaturu its  capital. They are in  Potiskum and Nguru.
 
With nearly all states in the federation having an airport, our governors have now stepped on the next level which is acquisition/operation of airlines. Again, Akwa Ibom blazed the trail in this respect with its Ibom Air. It is to its credit that more than ten years after its establishment,  Ibom Air is still flying, adding to its fleet of aircrafts and operating regular domestic flights to especially, Lagos, Abuja, Uyo. Last year, Governor Peter Mbah launched the Enugu Air which has some three aircrafts in its fleet. And last month  Governor Diri along side some top government officials undertook the first maiden flight of Bayelsa Air, taking off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and landing  at the Yenogoa International Airport.
 
More states are likely to follow suit  and we may in fact witness a scramble  by governors to join the league of states with airlines.  However, our governors should equally consider investing  in the electricity sector since that sector has been decentralized. More so now that they receive stupendous amounts of money from the Federation Account and so can afford such huge investments. What is more, investing in the energy sector will benefit all citizens, both rich and poor.
 

By: Fabian Apechihin

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) will make the final decision on candidates that emerged from its recent primary elections after all appeals have been reviewed.

Speaking in response to concerns raised by aggrieved aspirants and party members, Yilwatda explained that complaints from those who felt unfairly treated during the primaries were expected to be submitted to the party’s Appeal Committee for consideration.

He noted that the window provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission for resolving disputes arising from party primaries closed on May 30, stressing that the APC would act in accordance with the law.

“We will forward all petitions to the legal department for proper review. If the complainants submitted within the approved timeline, their cases will be treated accordingly because we must remain law-abiding as a political party,” he said.

The APC chairman assured party members that their concerns would not be ignored, emphasizing the importance of grassroots support to the party’s success.

“This party exists to address the concerns of people at the grassroots. We need the people and their votes. No voice will be discarded, which is why I returned to engage with those raising these issues,” he stated.

Addressing concerns over delays in releasing the final list of successful candidates and demands by some aspirants for refunds, Yilwatda urged patience, explaining that the conduct of a primary election does not automatically determine the party’s final nominees.

“There is a process for handling all these matters. The legal department is currently reviewing the appeal reports. Conducting an election is not the final stage. Once all appeals have been considered, the National Working Committee will review both the election results and appeal outcomes before making a final decision,” he explained.

Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society organisations submitted a petition calling for the cancellation of the APC senatorial primary election in Niger South Senatorial District, citing allegations of irregularities and external interference.

The coalition, through a petition signed by its Deputy National Secretary, Danesi Momoh Prince, alleged that legitimate delegates were excluded and that the process was manipulated to produce a predetermined outcome.

According to the group, the protest was motivated by a commitment to electoral justice, internal party democracy, accountability, and good governance.

“We are deeply concerned by allegations of irregularities, lack of transparency, exclusion of legitimate delegates, political interference, manipulation of the process, and the alleged imposition of a preferred candidate against the wishes of party members,” the petition stated.

The coalition also accused Umaru Bago of attempting to influence the outcome of the primary election, insisting that the people of Niger South should be allowed to choose their representative without interference.

The group warned that failure to address the grievances of party members could negatively affect the APC’s electoral prospects, stressing that democracy can only thrive when political parties uphold fairness, participation, transparency, and accountability.

By: Fabian Apechihin

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended his remarks concerning the recent kidnapping of teachers and students in Oyo State, insisting that he has no intention of retracting or withdrawing his statements.

Speaking during an inspection of projects ahead of activities marking the third anniversary of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, Wike addressed the backlash that followed comments he made to protesting teachers over the abduction incident.

The minister explained that his position was rooted in the belief that issues of insecurity should not be politicized. He stressed that his remarks were not intended to downplay the gravity of the country’s security challenges.

According to Wike, insecurity remains a major concern for all Nigerians, and incidents such as kidnappings are deeply unfortunate. However, he argued that many critics only react after such events occur rather than drawing attention to potential threats before they escalate.

He further stated that he does not make comments simply to win public approval, maintaining that he always speaks based on his convictions.

Reaffirming his position, Wike said he remains committed to his earlier remarks despite the criticism they have generated.

“I’m not going to retract, I’m not going to withdraw anything. What I said, I stand by it. If anybody is not happy, you can take any action you want to take,” he stated.

The comments come amid ongoing public debate over the handling of insecurity and recent abductions across different parts of the country.