COVID-19: Lawmakers decry exclusion of some airports in reopening schedule

Some Nigerian lawmakers from the North-east have frowned at the exclusion of the region in listing of airports marked for reopening following the coronavirus lockdown.

Also, three senators representing Akwa Ibom State have requested for the intervention of the Senate to get the federal government to include the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, among the airports that would begin the first phase of flight resumption in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had last week announced gradual reopening of the nation’s airports from June 21, starting with five airports.

In a letter to addressed to all domestic and foreign airlines dated June 1, the NCAA director general, Musa Nuhu, listed 5 airports to be opened to with the gradual start of operations to include: Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; the Omagwa International Airport, Port-Harcourt; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri.

But the northern lawmakers in a statement issued at the end of a meeting of the North-east caucus of the National Assembly, expressed disappointment over the decision of the agency.

The lawmakers stated that the zone has many airports, arguing that “at least one should have been selected like it was done to the other five zones” for the flights resumption.

Akwa Ibom

Also, Bassey Albert (Akwa Ibom North-east/PDP) during plenary on Tuesday commended the plan to reopen the airports but said the Akwa Ibom airport is “one of the busiest with local flights” and, therefore, should be included among the other five airports “in view of the other states it covers”.

Mr Albert spoke on the floor of the Senate for himself and on behalf of the other two senators, Chris Ekpenyong (Akwa Ibom North-west/PDP) and Akon Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom North-South/PDP), from the state.

He appealed for the intervention of the Senate.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the matter to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation.

The Victor Attah International Airport is home to the Akwa Ibom State-owned Ibom Air which is one of the fastest-growing local airlines in Nigeria.

Nigeria is slowly reopening its economy, despite the increase in COVID-19 cases.

‘Mambilla, insecurity on the cards’- North-east caucus

Meanwhile, the northern lawmakers also expressed happiness over the revisiting of the works at the Mambilla Power Project and expressed appreciation to the federal government over the establishment of the North East Development Commission.

They urged that the process be intensified “in order to achieve the desired economic, political and social benefits with minimum delay”.

On security, the lawmakers resolved to support and cooperate with the six state governors of the zone, security chiefs, religious leaders, traditional rulers “and indeed all other individuals in the effort to bring an end the serious insecurity especially the insurgency which has been bedeviling the North-east for so many years.”

New leadership

The caucus meeting, according to a press statement, agreed to return a senator, Danjuma Goje, as its leader, and elected other persons into various roles.

A House of Representatives member from Borno State, Mohammed Munguno, was also re-elected as the deputy chairman of the caucus.

Bauchi senator, Halliru Jika, was elected secretary; Aishatu Ahmad, representing Adamawa Central in the Senate was returned as treasurer.

David Fuoh of the House of Representatives from Taraba was elected as publicity secretary, with his counterpart, Tijjani Zakariya, elected as financial secretary.