THE National Assembly and the Appropriations Committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives have kick started the construction of second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja by injecting N15 billion into the 2017 budget to kick start the construction process, while the Ministry of Transport would take over the procurement process thereafter.

The measure, according to sources close to the National Assembly was to forestall any future closure of the Airport as experienced from March 8 to April 19.

Sources in the National Assembly said that following discussions between the Appropriations Committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as follow up meetings between the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly, it has been agreed that the National Assembly should kick start the process of constructing the Second Runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The source said,”To prevent the type of closure that happened to Abuja Airport recently, which led to loss of huge revenues by the government as well as airlines, the National Assembly has decided to end such haemorrhage and prepare ahead for the future. To start the process without any further delay, the National Assembly has projected the sum of N15 billion into the 2017 budget as take-off funds.”

Construction of the Second Runway at the Abuja Airport ran into bad weather during the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua over the cost of the runway. The N63 billion quoted as the amount for completion of the job was seen as outrageous and vehemently protested against by some members of the House of Representatives. President Goodluck Jonathan, who inherited the argument in 2010, when he took over from the late Yar’Adua cancelled the runway project on the basis of the huge cost.

Though a new figure was yet to be arrived at by the incumbent government, it was learnt that the National Assembly has already taken the initiative to inject take off funds into the 2017 budget. The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had also on March 22, during a tour of the Kaduna Airport told newsmen that the Federal Government was looking to the construction of the second runway within the next 24 hours.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/senate-reps-kick-start-second-runway-abuja-airport/

nice move

How many years are they going to close the airport....just care to know??

Nice move though

chiscodedon:
How many years are they going to close the airport....just care to know??

Nice move though

Construction of the 2nd runway won't result in a closure of the airport because the airport has a functional runway.

CFCman:


Construction of the 2nd runway won't result in a closure of the airport because the airport has a functional runway.

It could be so else where...but in Nigeria even when security lights need to be installed...,there will be closure

GoodBehave:
nice move

Yes, although the senate is supposed to send proposal for the construction to the Ministry of Aviation and Works.

It is these ministries that will then award the contract and send the cost to NASS.

They are always dabbling into areas beyond their mandate.

If the people at the helms don't know their onions, they can even say they want to be the ones to award the contract as they are the ones that put it in the budget.

What they should have done is to advice the ministries concerned to send the proposal to the NASS, and they add it to the budget.

They should please remember the uncompleted Port Harcourt International Airport.

^^
Construction is ongoing

...how can bad weather affect construction in Nigeria...only in Nigeria