Lagos State Government has been commended for the bold step taken to build an airport in the Lekki-Epe axis of the state.
The Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) are also charged to give the state government all the necessary support and approvals for the project to commence as planned.
Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, the assistant secretary, of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), made this known in a statement.
ASRTI Endorsement
ASRTI said the construction of the airport would cater to the burgeoning population and businesses around the Lekki Industrial Layout.
- The NGO, however, regretted that the state government had failed for almost a decade to construct a new airport despite the numerous promises, hoping that the government would match talk with action with the renewed effort.
- The ASRTI lamented that the failure of the government to build a new airport at Lekki-Epe had further created traffic chaos in the state, maintaining that its opening would reduce the congestion in the state, especially for travelers who move from the Island to the Mainland for air travel.
The statement said: “We whole-heartedly welcome the decision of the Lagos State Government to build an airport in the Lekki axis to cater to the burgeoning population and businesses around the Lekki industrial layout.
- “Despite prior promises and the potential, including the extensive plans for the development of the area over the years, the project never took off, and the Lekki corridor continued to expand, creating congestion, logistic and traffic chaos, impacting economic and business opportunities in the area,” Ohunayo said.
ASRTI also advocates a public-private partnership (PPP) between the state government and private firms.
- Besides, Ohunayo called on the relevant agencies and tiers of government to, as a matter of urgency, commence the repair of the cenotaphs erected to honour the fallen air passengers at Lisa, Epe, and Ejigbo, respectively.
- It said the two sites serve as a memorial of the dark history of the aviation industry in Nigeria. It appealed to the government to fix the roads leading to two sites for accessibility.
Construction of Lekki-Epe Airport to commence in 2022
The Lagos State Government had last week said it would commence the construction of the new airport in 2023.
- Special adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on public-private partnership, Mr. Ope George, disclosed this while speaking at a media parley organised by the state government at Alausa, Ikeja.
- According to George, the state government had already obtained all necessary approvals from the federal government.
- He added that the new airport would be constructed on 3,500 hectares of land in the Lekki-Epe area.
George also disclosed that the master plan and aeronautical designs were in place, adding that studies were ongoing about strategies, funding, and other issues, after which the project would be taken to the marketplace.