The Benin Airport in Edo State is one of the oldest in the country, from a mere aerodrum serving the old Western Region and then upgraded to airport serving old Bendel. It was one of the airports earmarked for refurbishing by the former Aviation Minister, Princes Stella Odua-Ogiemwonyi. The contracts were awarded, mobilization paid, work started and presumably completed before the inglorious administraction of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP was terminated by the Nigerian electorate, April 11, 2015. That government and indeed, the Minister was applauded for giving our hitherto dilapidated airports a face-lift in conformity with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO. Unfortunately, Nigerians now know better. They have now discovered to their utter disappointment that all the noise about new-look airports was nothing but a fluke! Yes, it was a clear case of the more you look, the less you see. One of the trade marks of the PDP government. That regime had the penchant of awarding contracts and discretely enter into dirty deals with the contractors at the expence of the people. On paper, a complet job is awarded for execution and paid for. But at the end of the day, part of it is left undone and the money meant for it is shared among the contractors, the party leaders and the government officials responsible for the award and certification of the contract. At the end of the day, the country, Nigerian and indeed the people are shortchanged. This is why roads constructed without sideworks and drainages remain common features across the six geo-political zones of the country. Others are without streets lights. Yet, all these are part of the entire contrct and paid for. But who dare ask questions? Since the head was rotten, the entire body was bound to stink to high heavens.
Sadly, the contract for refurbishing the Benin Airport is a typical case of the above pathetic picture which has been the lot of the Nigerian tax payers, a legacy of the sacked PDP government led by Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. The so-called refurbishing of the Benin Airport was said to have been completed about three years ago without the runway. Early June, 2015 officials of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN announced that effective from Friday, June 20, the airport will be closed for what it called routine turn around maintenace, TAM of the runway. It was expected to last for only three weeks. That is, it was expected to be reopened for use Friday, July 10, 2015, advising passengers to use alternative airports in Asaba and Warri. About two months after the closure, the airport is yet to open for use. That is, about a month behind the scheduled completion date, thereby subjecting air passengers to the harrowing experiences of having’ to travel by road to and fro the robbers and kidnappers infested Benin-Ababa and Benin-Warri routes. There are fears in some quarters that the project may have been abandoned. But the spokesman for the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Yakubu Datti has dispelled the fears of abandonement, insisting that it will soon be completed for use. But how soon is soon? Because Datti did not put any time line for the completion. The woman at the helms of affairs at the aviation ministry when the controversial contracts was awarded for the refurbushing of airports across the country, Princes Stella Odua was only eased out February 214. But today, she is sitting comfortably at the upper chambers of the national assembly wearing the toga of ‘distinguished senator’ representing the good people of Anambra North. Given the public outcry against her performance in her three years tenure at that sensitive ministry, Stella Odua would not have been given a ticket to contest any elective office in the first place let alone being elected in a sane clime. What a country called Nigeria!
But what is the difference between the airport tarmac(runway) and the building? So, contract for the refurbishing of the building was awarded without taking into consideration that the runway where the aircraft are expected to land and take-off was in bad shape and needed to be repaired. Will there be passengers without a conducive place for the landing and take off of the aircraft? Well, I am only thinking aloud as a novice on aviation matters. Does it mean that Odua was only concerned with awarding contract for the refurbishing of the building without being concerned about the runway? Again, I need to be enlightened because I think the entire airport modernization (runway repairs & refurbishing of building) should have been holistic instead of the piecemeal work to the unfortunate inconvenience of flying passengers. It’s rather funny that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN suddenly realised, three years after refurbishing the building, that the all-important runway needs a turn around maintenance, TAM. Do we take it that somebody somewhere here is guilty of contract plitting? Again, pardone me for I am only thinking aloud as a novice. Even the surposed refurbished building itself is back in its sorry state, less than three years after completion. The roof is like pouring water in a basket whenever it rains. At the time the refurbishing was going on about three years ago, a public commentator described it as “mere whitewashing of the Benin airport”, apparently because of the poor quality materials being used then. But today, the commentator has been vindicated given the sorry state of the main building. Unfortunately, this controversial contract is said to have been awarded to a prominent politician from Edo North. The tons of naira that have gone down the drains here, in the Nigerian way, is better imagined than described. Despite my ignorance, I strongly believe somebody somewhere needs to answer some questions for these obvious laspses. Anti-graft agencies are you there? You need to beam your serchlight on this Benin Airport and probably other airports across the country claimed to have been refurbished. The airport claimed to have been refurbished three years ago has no instrument landing system, that is, it cannot handle night flights. Aside this, in an emergency situation at night, a troubled aircraft has to go to nearby airport for landing. As strategic as the Benin airport is, it is usually shot down from 6pm daily deu to the non- availability of these instrument landing systems. An Arik Air Bombardier plane was said to have landed blindly at the airport sometime in September 2014. Now that the the government of President Mohammadu Buhari has finally agreed to carry out a holistic probe of the immediate past government of Goodluck Jonathan, it is hoped that the airports rehabilitation contract will not escape the searchlight.

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