President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Ministry of Finance to seek special funding for a 12,000 hectares second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement by the media aide to the Presidency, Garba Shehu on Wednesday morning after the inauguration of the new terminal building of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
He added that the completion and delivery of five brand new international airport terminals since 2015, which were at 11% completion level then, aligns perfectly with the Aviation Roadmap.
What the Presidency is saying
The Presidency revealed that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning was directed to look for special funding for the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The statement added that the Ministry should “conclude the documentation of the approved 12,000 hectares of land to accommodate the runway and other developmental projects. Further, the President tasked the Minister of Aviation to fast-track the airport concession programme, to boost aviation practice in the country and make the aviation industry reflect global standards.”
Buhari noted that the “completion and delivery of five brand new international airport terminals since 2015, which were at 11% completion level then, aligns perfectly with the Aviation Roadmap, developed in 2016, for the purposes of establishing critical infrastructure including a National Carrier as well as maintenance, repairs and overhaul centre, and improved Airports Terminals through concession.”
Describing his administration’s investments in inter-state rail connectivity, road networks, agriculture, power and telecommunications, despite limitations in resources, as unprecedented, he noted that robust initiatives have been complemented with specific fiscal policies to drive aviation infrastructure renaissance.
‘‘These include the designation of 4 airports, namely Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt as Free Trade Zones, in which customs duty is not applicable; removal of VAT on all forms of shared transportation, including air transportation; and exemption of commercial aircraft and spare parts from VAT payment.
‘‘Similar projects at both the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Port Harcourt International Airport were completed and commissioned by this administration and our people have since been benefiting from the positive,” he said.
He added that the new terminal in Lagos with sixty-six check-in-counters, sixteen Immigration desks at arrival, twenty-eight Immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others, would go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of the country.
“The improvement would increase airport operations and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum, create 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, increase inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and exponential growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he added.
In case you missed it
- Nairametrics reported yesterday that the Federal Government directed the Ministry of Aviation to fast track the airport concession programme, disclosed by President Muhammadu Buhari during the inauguration of the new International Terminal of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos on Tuesday.
- According to him, when this and the approved aviation road map are being implemented, the sector will begin to witness growth opportunities.
