BEVERLY HILLS, April 11, (THEWILL) – There are fresh controversies trailing the N2 billion airport project proposed to be built at Wasimi in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.
THEWILL gathered that the then Minister of State for Transport in charge of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika in 2018, allegedly made a request to President Muhammadu Buhari for the establishment of a passenger airport in Wasimi.
As a follow up, Sirika who is now the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika is said to have sought approval for a N2 billion grant from the Presidency and to site the Ogun airport project at Wasimi in Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.
Not too long after the project was conceived, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun started having disagreement over the airport project and its location.
While Abiodun prefers an Agro-Allied Cargo airport, located at Ilishan-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area, Amosun is pushing for a passenger airport at Wasimi.
Recently, the Senate Committee Chairman on Aviation paid a visit to the state and decided to inspect both sites as the Governor and his predecessor frantically pushed for their preferred location and the airport type.
The issue was first raised in March this year by the Committee on Aviation when the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu was invited but he denied knowledge of the airport and claimed Presidential approval.
But a letter made available to THE WILL indicated that the plan, ab initio, was in Wasimi in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The letter signed by Senator Hadi Abubakar Sirika with reference FMA/DSTP/402/S86/1/196 written to the President May 7, 2018 titled: Request of Payment for the sum of Two Billion Naira (N2, 000, 000, 000.00) only Capital Support Grant for Construction of Ogun State Airport at Wasimi, Abeokuta.
According to the letter, the ministerial technical team on site selection considered Mosan-Wasinmi 60 kilometers from the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos as location with aim to facilitate VIP movement, Border Control, Agro Pesticide Control and Medical Emergency Evacuation in a quest to enhance economic development in the state and complement the MMA.
Part of the letter reads: “The sum of Two Billion Naira (N2, 000, 000, 000.00) has been appropriated in the 2017 Capital Appropriation of the Ministry to support the implementation of the project in earnest”.
“It is in the light of the foregoing and the determination to support the upgrade of the Airstrip in Wasinmi, Abeokuta into a full-fledged airport that Mr. President is most humbly solicited to kindly consider and graciously approve release of the sum of Two Billion Naira (N2, 000, 000, 000.00) only which has been approved for the project in the Ministry’s 2017 capital budget in favour of Ogun State Government as Capital Support Grant as earlier pledged to facilitate timely completion of the project”.
Three years after the huge fund was requested, the project still remains in Limbo.
It was however, not clear yet, whether the money was granted by the then Ministry of Transport based on the request by Senator Hadi Sirika who was then in the Ministry as Minister of State Transport in charge of Aviation.
Attempts made to reach out to the Director, Public Affairs of the Ministry of Aviation, Mr. James Odaudu, as at the time of filing this report proved abortive.
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