Re: IBOM AIRPORT’S VARIOUS COMPLETION LEVELS

Re: IBOM AIRPORT’S VARIOUS COMPLETION LEVELS

There has been conflicting statements coming from government officials concerning the newly inaugurated Ibom International Airport: Governor Attah’s men revealed that his government paid 100% upfront to the manufacturers of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) money-yielding aspect of the project and delivery of this was taken by the present administration late 2007. They also claimed that sizeable portion of the 3.5 kilometre runway was asphalted. Governor Akpabio who agrees that the airport was started by the past administration that he served for more than five years, has not countered above claims but maintained that the project was only 10% completed at the time he took over.

But in the Compass newspaper of Saturday 10/07/10 one Honourable Eseme Eyiboh representing Eket at the Federal House and who claimed to have worked in Attah’s administration, said that the airport was 15% completed as at May 2007 when Akpabio took over. But yet aired on AIT live programme 10am Monday 12/7/10, the Akwa Ibom SSG, Umana Okon Umana who also served under Attah for eight years as Director of Budget and later Commissioner for Finance, said that the handing-over document with him inside the programme-studio showed that it was actually 20% completed as at May 2007, which obviously may not have taken cognizance of the MRO aspect paid upfront but received much later by Akpabio administration.

It is then confusing which of the levels (10% by Akpabio or 15% by Eyiboh or 20% by Umana) should be taken as authentic. It should be recalled that late 2007 the present administration also travelled to USA to renegotiate the Contract with Dyncorp (the initial Consultant to the project) but in 2009 the company was alleged to have abandoned the project for what was revealed as irreconcilable requests and this prompted Akpabio administration to re-award the contract with US$52 million upward review.

In view of the fact that the MRO aspect was received since 2007, it is important that Governor Akpabio does not fail in his promise this time around to complete the project before end of September 2010.

Eno Samuel, Oron Road, UYO, Akwa Ibom State.