Chairman, Senate Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa/NEPAD, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, says that the reopening of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu will boost the nation’s economic recovery.
The airport had been shut down for 370 days by the aviation authorities because of safety concerns, including the hitherto faulty runway surface and navigational aids, in order to meet international standards.
Expressing delight on the reopening of the airport after the repairs , Senator Nnamani was optimistic that the economy of the nation especially in the Eastern region that was on the low ebb because of the shutdown aggravated by the outbreak of coronavirus would now pick up.
In a statement issued in Abuja today, Senator Nnamani, representing Enugu East Senatorial Zone in the upper legislative chamber, said: “I welcome the news of the reopening of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport that serves as the gateway to the Igbo area of Nigeria with excitement“.
He paid glowing tribute to the Governor of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for his leading role in the actualization of the project.
Senator Nnamani stated: “It is ennobling that Governor Ugwuanyi has lived up to the expectation of overseeing the primary and central city of Igbo land. He did not only coordinate, organize and champion the activities but he was directly involved on a daily basis“.
According to Senator Nnamani, “this is consistent with the role expected of the Governor of Enugu State to symbolize total Igbo social and cultural appropriation of the city of Enugu”.
Senator Nnamani however advised airport users not to allow the excitement of the reopening to undermine the adherence to all the COVID-19 protocols, saying that the health of citizens matters.
