THE way and manner state governors are foisting airports on their citizens under the guise of development has continued to generate debates among Nigerians both within and outside the aviation sector.
To many, the state governors are building such airports to shore up their political sagacity without minding the negative consequences on the citizens.
At the last count, there are over 15 state-owned airports across the country built by governors, both serving and past.
Reasons given for building the airports by such governors range from the excuse to open up their states, development, seamless movements of goods and humans, among other reasons. These same reasons are still being held on to by some serving governors contemplating the idea of building airports for their states.
It is arguable that the presence of an airport in a state should automatically propel its progress towards creating comfortable environment for businesses, increasing revenue and financial empowerment for the citizens.
While the argument might be tenable in other climes where public office holders like governors hardly embark on any project without weighing the pros and cons of such projects to their citizens, unfortunately, in Nigeria, the reverse has been the case as governors who know next to nothing about the deep economic responsibility entailed in airport management, rush to build one in their states and often abandon it midway.
It is on record that out of the 15 airports that fall into the category, only one or may be two have stood the tests of time while others have become wasteful enterprises with many of such airports already taken over by weeds due to neglect and lack of patronage.
In most cases, some of these airports have not recorded up to five flights in a year except the services they render to the governors and their family members during official or private duties.
Again, it has been discovered that some of the airports have become a conduit pipe through where public funds are allegedly siphoned by some of the governors, having claimed to have spent humongous amounts on the project with nothing to show for this.
Of all the state-owned airports, only the Akwa Ibom State-owned airport has continued to justify the good vision of successive governments that had and still run the state.
What stands Akwa Ibom airport out is that the originator of the project, former Governor Obong Victor Attah, with some core aviation professionals in the state, knew what they wanted before setting up the airport and successive governors, including the current one, has not deviated from the original plans.
The Akwa Ibom airport today has not only become a main source of revenue generation but has also given birth to a very strong airline, Ibom Air, and a gigantic aircraft maintenance facility, which have all opened up the state and providing jobs for the citizens and even citizens of other states.
Some of the state-owned airports include: Anambra Airport, completed in 2021 at a cost of N6 billion; Ekiti Cargo Airport, completed in 2023 at a cost of N16.6 billion; Bayelsa International Airport, built by former Governor Seriake Dickson and completed in 2019; MKO Abiola International Airport (Osun), which construction began in 2012 with a revised cost of N11 billion; Ogun State Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport with its construction dated back to 2021, with a projected cost of N40 billion.
Other state airports are Victor Attah International Airport (Akwa Ibom), completed in 2006 at a cost of N25 billion, with an additional $100 million spent on an MRO facility; Abia Airport, conceived by Senator Theodore Orji’s administration, despite the proximity of Sam Mbakwe Airport; Dutse International Airport, built by former Governor Sule Lamido at a cost of N4 billion, despite being located near Aminu Kano International Airport; Ahmadu Bello Airport (Bauchi), constructed at a cost of N14 billion, aimed at attracting investors and generating revenue and the Nasarawa Airport, conceived by former Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura at an estimated cost of N10 billion, to ease cargo traffic at Abuja Airport.
The attitude of the governors, despite the warnings against their craze to embark on such projects, have only added to the burdens of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the agency responsible for managing the 23 airports of government but has become more or less the dumping ground for governors to transfer airports to after failing to achieve their purpose.
As at today, only Akwa Ibom State-owned airport has remained a success story while others have become typical examples of a misplaced priority when the funds spent to build them would have been enough to upgrade infrastructural decay like bad roads, health facilities and raise the standard of education in the states.
Since the craze for state airports has become like a competition among governors, it may not be out of place for the Federal Government, through agencies that fight financial crimes like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to step in and beam the searchlight on state governors who have continued to hide behind airport constructions to allegedly steal from the people.
The searchlight should be extended to governors who, though have since left office, are found to have built airports that have become moribund or unprofitable to their states to render account of how they spent public funds on the airports.
The need to call the affected governors for questioning is to make public office holders accountable and send out the signal that governors, like other officials, don’t just waste public funds on projects that will not positively add values to the lives of the masses.
Once the policy of a check and balance is put in place, it will discourage any governor that may be nursing the idea of using airport projects to defraud their states.
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