I am not in anyway blaming the poor minister as he was carrying order taken well above his head. My issue is with powers that be and the crooked system they've created to subjugate. Playing God, who decides who get what and who doesn't.
This people are still fighting the civil war they told us no victor and vanquished with their mindless and inhumane policies.
If not, tell me the kind of economic sense it makes that cities like Nnewi-Aba-Onitsha-Awka between them don't merit an internatiional airport, when their residents probably made up at least 50% of all domestic/international travels in that country. I still remember when my father use to travel to Kano to catch a flight to Hon Kong. It's a disgrace.
And they think that Nigeria will ever move an inch? I don't think so.

Eziachi:

I am not in anyway blaming the poor minister as he was carrying order taken well above his head. My issue is with powers that be and the crooked system they've created to subjugate. Playing God, who decides who get what and who doesn't.
This people are still fighting the civil war they told us no victor and vanquished with their mindless and inhumane policies.
If not, tell me the kind of economic sense it makes that cities like Nnewi-Aba-Onitsha-Awka between them don't merit an internatiional airport, when their residents probably made up at least 50% of all domestic/international travels in that country. I still remember when my father use to travel to Kano to catch a flight to Hon Kong. It's a disgrace.
And they think that Nigeria will ever move an inch? I don't think so.

*jona must have had several orgasms just seeing the type of inconvinience lack of an international airport has caused. Until we learn to locate facilities based on local need, and not on purely politics, these problems will continue in Nigeria. Bye the way, the Oba of Benin wants the airport in that city removed.

Sentiments apart,out of the four existing international airport,how many of them are world-class rated,how many of them are being patronized by international airlines, There are other projects i think enugu state is in dire need of which will impact positively on the lives of minors and the state should start on that rather than fighting for an elephant project based on political and tribal sentiments.

~Bluetooth:

Sentiments apart,out of the four existing international airport,how many of them are world-class rated,how many of them are being patronized by international airlines, There are other projects i think enugu state is in dire need of which will impact positively on the lives of minors and the state should start on that rather than fighting for an elephant project based on political and tribal sentiments.

Don't mind them. Igbos are always full of political and ethnic complains. They like grumbling too much.

pcicero:

I don't think Omotoba started this remember Kema Chikwe too was there a few years ago. He admitted that some airports (including Enugu) are showing signs of improvements in flight operations hence the decision to upgrade facilities at the airport. Moreso, i think it is not a minister's sole prerogative to give an airport the "international" status.

You are insane and your imbecilic posts are detestable.

zebra:

Don't mind them. Igbos are always full of political and ethnic complains. They like grumbling too much.

Your mindless and crass statement is exactly my point, just like I said before that people tend to feel it when the pinch is only in there own shoe. If your comfortable to travel from your state for instance down to Calabar to catch a flight to New York, you can then sit down and pontificate. That the whole of South East doesn't deserve an international airport is to you an ethnic complain, shame on you.

~Bluetooth:

Sentiments apart,out of the four existing international airport,how many of them are world-class rated,how many of them are being patronized by international airlines, There are other projects i think enugu state is in dire need of which will impact positively on the lives of minors and the state should start on that rather than fighting for an elephant project based on political and tribal sentiments.

Tell me what will be more economic viable than an international airport for thousands of business activities in Nnewi-Aba-Onitsha and Awka. I don;t see why the one in Abuja, Kano or Lagos are not elephant projects, no one is asking for an international airport in a village somewhere. The same people that build a sixty seater stadium in Abuja, where there are no known football clubside but allowed a well known national stadium in Surulere (where Okwaraji laid down his life) to roth away. Shame on Nigeria.

@eziachi
so every airport in the country now should be given international status due to heavy human traffic.Wrong,
There are many factors to be considered in doing this, !

KnowAll:

Why don’t the FG grant international license to all the 36 capitals of the nation, at least those airports that are not profitable, the license will be as good as a toilet paper, useless to say the least.

Does anyone seriously think Virgin Atlantic or BA will fly direct from London to Jalingo, or London to Akure, let the market forces determine which Airports should be International and which should be local or domestic.

Within a 6 months period all the airports would have gotten the baptism they deserve rather than politicising the whole thing to the detriment of one tribe or the other

you are funny, but you are actually saying the truth.

I'm still wondering why those people are complainig that there is no international Airport in the south-east when there is Port Harcourt int'l Airport close to them. Is it because Rivers state is in south-south or what?

ask your selves, do we have int'l Airport in the nort-east? what about north-central, do they have an int'l airport?? have they complained? They all use the int'l airports close to them that is Abuja and Kano airports; pls igbos in the south-east should use the int'l airport in PH and stop complaining.

What are the senators and other legislators doing about this? if they remain silent, it is an act of treachery.

^^^
just what i wanted to ask, why arent the governors asking for international status?

whats this decision from above? like the southerners in govt are just there to make up the numbers
pdp chairman, minister for education, minister for environment etc etc

zebra:

you are funny, but you are actually saying the truth.

I'm still wondering why those people are complainig that there is no international Airport in the south-east when there is Port Harcourt int'l Airport close to them. Is it because Rivers state is in south-south or what?

ask your selves, do we have int'l Airport in the nort-east? what about north-central, do they have an int'l airport?? have they complained? They all use the int'l airports close to them that is Abuja and Kano airports; pls igbos in the south-east should use the int'l airport in PH and stop complaining.

Our opinons should not distort FACTS.

North-Central = Abuja Int'l airport

@youngies

Please Abuja is not a state in north-central geo-political region. Abuja is FCT and shares boundaries with Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi and Kaduna states. States in the north-central geo-political region are Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara and Benue. So Abuja int'l Airport is not meant to be an int'l airport for the north-central region, rather it is an int'l airport in the FCT.

zebra:

@youngies

Please Abuja is not a state in north-central geo-political region. Abuja is FCT and shares boundaries with Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi and Kaduna states. States in the north-central geo-political region are Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara and Benue. So Abuja int'l Airport is not meant to be an int'l airport for the north-central region, rather it is an int'l airport in the FCT.

You have not said anything new.

plop.

zebra:

@youngies

Please Abuja is not a state in north-central geo-political region. Abuja is FCT and shares boundaries with Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi and Kaduna states. States in the north-central geo-political region are Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara and Benue. So Abuja int'l Airport is not meant to be an int'l airport for the north-central region, rather it is an int'l airport in the FCT.

Your distorted logic gives me a headache. Chosing federal character and federal facilities when it's politically convinient is the bane of this country. In reality, the SE has more population than the NE+NW combined(despite your contrary census figures) and more commerce to show for it. If people of the SE need an internationl gateway to boost their economy, who would fight against that? Except if you're deeply scared of their success. All those state in the north you have named---Nassarawa, Kogi are nothing but glorified local government areas created by the northern military to keep a political strangle hold on the south--time will tell.
Is there any reason why the federal government must be the one deciding who gets good roads and who doesn't, who gets international airport and who doesn't, and who lives and who dies, and using our federal fund to do that too? Let every region build their own roads, airports, seaport, whatever.

naijaking1:

Your distorted logic gives me a headache. Chosing federal character and federal facilities when it's politically convinient is the bane of this country. In reality, the SE has more population than the NE+NW combined(despite your contrary census figures) and more commerce to show for it. If people of the SE need an internationl gateway to boost their economy, who would fight against that? Except if you're deeply scared of their success. All those state in the north you have named---Nassarawa, Kogi are nothing but glorified local government areas created by the northern military to keep a political strangle hold on the south--time will tell.
Is there any reason why the federal government must be the one deciding who gets good roads and who doesn't, who gets international airport and who doesn't, and who lives and who dies, and using our federal fund to do that too? Let every region build their own roads, airports, seaport, whatever.

Thank God for you, and talking about commerce, what commercial activities  go in in Enugu that qualifies it to have an int'l airport? One of you (in one of the previous posts)said that Enugu deserves an int'l airport simply because it was a regional capital before? I responded by asking him why Kaduna, Ibadan and Benin-city would not have same too, being former regional capitals too. I still don't understand why you guys are complaining. If it's in terms of commerce then Aba and Onitsha should be the ones asking for int'l airports, and not Enugu please.

one nigeria

Establishment of an international airport in the South East is not something that should be put up for debate, especially in 2009. Any Nigerian that has not been compromised by some unfounded paranoia, malevolence and prejudice will have no doubts regarding the need for such Airport in the Region.

My only grievance in this situation rests on reps, Senators, Governors and other prominent figures from that region. I am of the opinion they've spent a greater part of their ''political career'' chasing shadows. If they really want the airport, no amount of unfounded paranoia and evasive political maneuver can get in the way. Perhaps I am unaware of those circumstances that hamper the ''attempts' and ''efforts'' of the South East Govs/Sen/Reps (This is where someone with a better knowledge of the mechanism comes in to enlighten me).

Viability is not an excuse here because only a reprehensible slowpoke traveling from Awka, Enugu, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Uga, Isuofia etc will ignore the airport in either Enugu, Onitsha or even Asaba and travel to Lagos,Abuja, Kano or PH just to catch a flight to USA, UAE, Canada etc and vice versa.

naijaking1:

Your distorted logic gives me a headache. Chosing federal character and federal facilities when it's politically convinient is the bane of this country. In reality, the SE has more population than the NE+NW combined(despite your contrary census figures) and more commerce to show for it. If people of the SE need an internationl gateway to boost their economy, who would fight against that? Except if you're deeply scared of their success. All those state in the north you have named---Nassarawa, Kogi are nothing but glorified local government areas created by the northern military to keep a political strangle hold on the south--time will tell.
Is there any reason why the federal government must be the one deciding who gets good roads and who doesn't, who gets international airport and who doesn't, and who lives and who dies, and using our federal fund to do that too? Let every region build their own roads, airports, seaport, whatever.

i agree.
how can you compare the north to that of the south?

e be like say our biafrans don start to complain instead of being grateful, again. federal government don award contract to upgrade enugu airport, but dat one no do them. dem want make dem license de airport as international airport. nevermind whether e make economic sense or not!

even for overseas, like usa where most of the biafrans wey dey complain dey reside, big states like oklahoma and new mexico no get international airports. if you wan travel to china from usa, for example, na from only a handful of states wey you fit get direct flight; most of the flights go first carry you go a hub airport, wey be de real international airports, before you begin go china.

de 4 international airports wey dey nigeria are gravely underutilized sef. even if we build 8 more international airports, which airlines go patronize dem?

na real disgrace however, for someone going to enugu from london to fly into lagos and then have to travel to enugu by road. na dis disgrace of a problem wey de current federal project go solve. but intead of our biafran internet warriors to show appreciation, na ungratefulness dem dey show.

one dede1, while complaining, even call enugu, nigeria, cesspit, out of anger.   make una think rationally for once.

actually its not about the South/region, the guy is saying if there is to be another airport it should be in Anambra or Abia.

~Bluetooth:

@eziachi
so every airport in the country now should be given international status due to heavy human traffic.Wrong,
There are many factors to be considered in doing this, !

No one had said build an international airport in every village in Igboland, we are talking of not having not a single one, no one is asking for two, three or four, just one to serve a huge nation. How small is norhtern Ireland in the united kingdom, but they still have three domestic airport and one international in Belfast, their is one in Cardiff for the Welch, the Scotland had three international airports.

If it was in Nigeria, they will tell them to travel to London, Manchester, Birmingham or Liverpool. We are talking of economic policies made simple on Nigeria politics.

Can you please list those factors for me, I may be wrong and if you don't, please just don't,

KnowAll:

Why don’t the FG grant international license to all the 36 capitals of the nation, at least those airports that are not profitable, the license will be as good as a toilet paper, useless to say the least.

Does anyone seriously think Virgin Atlantic or BA will fly direct from London to Jalingo, or London to Akure, let the market forces determine which Airports should be International and which should be local or domestic.

Within a 6 months period all the airports would have gotten the baptism they deserve rather than politicising the whole thing to the detriment of one tribe or the other

That is exactly my sentiment, it is the market force that determine this things rather, politics of region or tribe. Or let them privatise it like they did in the U.K. All these Nnewi billionaire that had dominated the luxury bus industry, will jump at the chance, like they did with the buses, if not for anything pride. Like I said before, flowers attract bees, so you can't say Enugu can't function, when there is nothing there to attract local or domestic operators.

zebra:

@youngies

Please Abuja is not a state in north-central geo-political region. Abuja is FCT and shares boundaries with Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi and Kaduna states. States in the north-central geo-political region are Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara and Benue. So Abuja int'l Airport is not meant to be an int'l airport for the north-central region, rather it is an int'l airport in the FCT.

Here we go again with mixing politics with economy. How many people from those places you just mentioned had seen an aeroplane in their lives, let alone travelling on it. Minus their, political elite, how many northerners travel abroad? If you live abroad as a Nigerian, how many of them have you seen on the streets of London. Houston or Hamburg as your co- worker or classmate.

Finally, those northern states, you mentioned, what is their contribution to the national coffer, from income tax to VAT? How many of them will last two months with internal genrated revenue or without the usual handout from oil they don't see how a drop is produced?

zebra:

Thank God for you, and talking about commerce, what commercial activities  go in in Enugu that qualifies it to have an int'l airport? One of you (in one of the previous posts)said that Enugu deserves an int'l airport simply because it was a regional capital before? I responded by asking him why Kaduna, Ibadan and Benin-city would not have same too, being former regional capitals too. I still don't understand why you guys are complaining. If it's in terms of commerce then Aba and Onitsha should be the ones asking for int'l airports, and not Enugu please.

Another baseless arguement, Enugu is surrounded, by big cities like Nnewi, Onitsha, Aba, Awka, Owerri and even Orlu/Umuahia, all these cities are heaving with commercial activities every single day. Enugu itself is the home of the famous Abakpa and Ogbete international Markets, home to Mercedes assembly (ANNAMCO) in west Africa. Tell me which commerrcial towns that surround, those you mentioned before. And that is not even the point, why can't they leave for each region to decide? If it's economical viable, it will die a natural death as its market that determines the life of infrastructures like airport, not human politics. If Kaduna, Benin, Ibadan or Enugu is not economically viable, the airport will die a natural death.

@eziachi
your point still boils down to the fact that igboland needs an international airport, Nigeria has over 300 tribes;if every tribe start requesting for an international airport base on sentiment,there will be problem, Nigeria is wide and multi-complex, Lagos airport serves the south west axis,kano serves the northern axis while abuja serves the fct territory and surrounding states and port harcourt serves the south/eastern states, I will appreciate upgrading of the existing ones rather than dashing international status to some runways!, Haba

@Zebra

I am not akin to debating a slowpoke. If the two out of the three original regions of Nigeria had a befitting international airport such as MMA in Lagos and NAA in Abuja, the then eastern region of Nigeria deserves such grade of an airport. The Port Harcourt airstrip can never satisfy the conditions required of International airport.

The white Elephants in Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri are airports capable of handling Boeing 747 and yet properly christened as international airport while Enugu can not welcome Airbus 330 or Boeing 767.

The former eastern region of Nigeria accounts for, at least, 50% volume of Nigerian traffic overseas and yet not a single befitting airport is situated in the region. I urge the federal government of Nigeria to site a MMA or NAA type of airport in the former eastern region and let the volume of traffic determine which airport would cease to exist.

If some trolls term my agitation as being ethnically biased I say so be it because Nigeria and its federal character policies are not only tribally concocted but arduously pursued by ethnic irredentists.

Some times many of us miss the point,reading comments from NL sometimes gives U the impression that Nigerians can be insensitive when it comes to issues of equality.Some ppl make it seem like hardly is there any traffic in Enugu airport,am not rooting for them to confer international status to the airport even though it is not a bad idea in itself but it is stupid for anyone to say because Kaduna is a commercial state and Enugu is administrative,they or the whole of the SE do not need an international airport or that the airport is not that important,that is the height of insensitivity.Enugu is the only federal airport in the whole of SE and it serves the five south eastern states,the igbos by nature are very mobile ppl,it's phoney for anyone to claim that enugu airport does not have the clout to generate traffic comparable to lagos or abuja.Thank God the FG has deemed it fit to at least upgrade the airport whether international or not,atleast,this will increase its ability to take in more flights and with time we will see if actualy PH airport even with its international status will do better than that of Enugu.The Fact is,most none easterners argue against it on the basis of the fact that they are afraid of competition esp ppl from south-south.If Enugu becomes international today,of course traffic will reduce in airports like PH and to some extent Lagos and Abuja.If I wanted to go to the US or Europe from Owerre,onitsha,Aba or Abakaliki for instance,I won't have to go to PH international Airport cos already there is one close by in Enugu,U know what that will do to PH Airport in terms of business and let's face it igbos make a sizeable chunk of their passengers.Let's stop clumping everything with tribalism each time igbos raise issues of infrastructural Development coming to the east.We are Nigerians too,if states like Ogun state could be gaining fast infrastructural developments as a result of its proximity to Lagos why should ppl cry when we raise thesame issues for the igbos?Igbos work very hard just like any other Nigerian our concerns must not be shot from birth and given decent burials.

@~Bluetooth

I do not give a hoot about the numerous ethnic groups the cesspit called Nigeria is hosting. The crux of my debate is that former eastern region of Nigeria is over qualified for a befitting international airport in breathe with the ones cited in Lagos and Abuja.

Progressive and reasonable countries of the world enjoin political and economical factors to determine the citing of certain industries and infrastructures such as airport in those countries.

I am agitating that the federal government should either build a befitting international airport in Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri, Aba, Uyo, Asaba or upgrade the Port Harcourt airstrip to standards found in MMA or NAA. I hate flying into Lagos or Abuja and spent another 24 hours on the road to reach my destination in the south-eastern part of the country.

I am agitating that the federal government should either build a befitting international airport in Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri, Aba, Uyo, Asaba or upgrade the Port Harcourt airstrip to standards found in MMA or NAA. I hate flying into Lagos or Abuja and spent another 24 hours on the road to reach my destination in the south-eastern part of the country.

if federal government upgrade enugu airport as planned, and people fit fly to enugu from lagos instead of disgracefully travelling for 24hours to enugu, that should be looked at as a step forward. ko kwa?

rhymz:

Some times many of us miss the point,reading comments from NL sometimes gives U the impression that Nigerians can be insensitive when it comes to issues of equality.Some ppl make it seem like hardly is there any traffic in Enugu airport,am not rooting for them to confer international status to the airport even though it is not a bad idea in itself but it is stupid for anyone to say because Kaduna is a commercial state and Enugu is administrative,they or the whole of the SE do not need an international airport or that the airport is not that important,that is the height of insensitivity.Enugu is the only federal airport in the whole of SE and it serves the five south eastern states,the igbos by nature are very mobile ppl,it's phoney for anyone to claim that enugu airport does not have the clout to generate traffic comparable to lagos or abuja.Thank God the FG has deemed it fit to at least upgrade the airport whether international or not,atleast,this will increase its ability to take in more flights and with time we will see if actualy PH airport even with its international status will do better than that of Enugu.[/b]The Fact is,most none easterners argue against it on the basis of the fact that they are afraid of competition esp ppl from south-south.[b]If Enugu becomes international today,of course traffic will reduce in airports like PH and to some extent Lagos and Abuja.If I wanted to go to the US or Europe from Owerre,onitsha,Aba or Abakaliki for instance,I won't have to go to PH international Airport cos already there is one close by in Enugu,U know what that will do to PH Airport in terms of business and let's face it igbos make a sizeable chunk of their passengers.Let's stop clumping everything with tribalism each time igbos raise issues of infrastructural Development coming to the east.We are Nigerians too,if states like Ogun state could be gaining fast infrastructural developments as a result of its proximity to Lagos why should ppl cry when we raise thesame issues for the igbos?Igbos work very hard just like any other Nigerian our concerns must not be shot from birth and given decent burials.

I now understand what this igbo people are saying. So going to Omagwa airport is what is disturbing you guys?? May God help you guys with an airport in igboland then. But PH still remains Port Harcourt, take it or leave it.