Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed how Governor Alex Otti convinced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve the development of a full international airport in Abia State instead of the airstrip initially planned by the Federal Government.
According to Keyamo, the Federal Government had earmarked funds in the 2024 budget for the construction of a basic airstrip after Tinubu expressed surprise that Abia lacked any aviation landing facility.
However, Otti reportedly sought a more ambitious project and approached the President with a proposal to transform the planned airstrip into a full-fledged international airport. The governor pledged that the Abia State Government would provide counterpart funding to complement federal resources.
Keyamo said Otti’s commitment to co-financing the project and his readiness to proceed with the development played a key role in securing presidential approval for the upgrade.
The airport, located at Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North, is currently under construction, with runway works said to be at an advanced stage. The minister disclosed that the Federal Government would soon begin funding other critical airport infrastructure to support the project.
He noted that the airport is expected to strengthen Abia’s position as a commercial and industrial hub in Nigeria’s South-East region, in line with the administration’s goal of expanding infrastructure development across all parts of the country.
Otti has also expressed hopes that the facility will attract increased aviation activity and potentially serve as a major operational hub for United Nigeria Airlines.
The project also brings closure to a long-running controversy surrounding an earlier airport initiative in the state, which had generated criticism over the handling of billions of naira without the delivery of a functional airport facility.
To avoid compensation and demolition challenges, the Otti administration relocated the project site from a densely populated area to Nsulu, strategically situated between the cities of Aba and Umuahia.