By Funsho Balogun.
The airport construction project being embarked upon by Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti has continued to generate a flurry of comments from within and outside the state. It is located off Ago Aduloju after the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti and it extends to the rice planting town of Igbemo Ekiti, a shouting distance from Afao, Fayose’s home town.
While many are of the opinion that it is an unviable venture that will be of little benefit to the people of Ekiti in terms of economic empowerment, others are of the view that the project which is to cost the state N17 billion promises long -term benefits. However, in aviation quarters, the move by the state government has generally been given a thumbs down.
The aviation stakeholders have based their assessment of the project’s viability on the fact that majority of the airport infrastructure in the country, despite being government owned, are significantly underutilised. Only four airports are privately owned out of the 22 airports in the country. But for the past five years at least, 75% of passenger traffic have come from only the Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja airports. And for the past four years, about 90% of revenue earned in the aviation industry has been from only two airports-The Murtala Mohammed Airport , Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
Aviation experts are convinced that this trend is unlikely to change anytime soon considering the fact that most of the airport building projects initiated and completed in the last decade in the nation were done by governors who did so based on ego and for political reasons and not really based on the viability of the facility in the state and the revenue generating prospects. Ojikutu John, aviation and security consultant, says airports should be built based on the right economic considerations. “You must name the business reasons for building an airport, which should ordinarily be built where there is big movement of people or where it is capable of attracting people. But people that travel to Ekiti do so by road”, he stated.
Captain Yemi Dada, Managing Director of IRS airline, suggests that Ekiti, and other states that are itching to commence the building of airports should set their priorities right. “Looking at the states as they are today, it is a misplaced priority to want to build an airport. Maybe they want to have it as a long-term project. Ekiti is not far from Akure Airport, just 30 minutes drive in distance. Unless Ekiti State has other reasons for the airport, which I don’t know, the Ekiti State government should focus on other things rather than airport building’’, he said.
On his part, Deba Uwadiae, another aviation consultant, says the proliferation of airports has since become a challenge for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, mainly because most of these airports have remained dormant. Yet, salaries of FAAN workers and those of workers from other aviation agencies working in these airports must be paid. Funds for this have always been sourced from the money that comes in from the three thriving airports -Abuja, Lagos, and to an extent, Port Harcourt. FAAN fears that the arrangement will eventually become unsustainable.
According to Ibrahim Adamu, an aviator, Ekiti State should take a cue from the situation on ground at some of the airports built recently, in states with little prospects for the heavy traffic required to make the airport facility worthwhile. The Dutse Airport, Jigawa State, was built at the cost of N15.5 billion with funds provided by the state which does not boast industries and heavy commercial activities, and is not a haven for tourists. Since it was commissioned a year ago, it is yet to attract scheduled domestic flights while it is also not thriving in terms of cargo movement. The Gombe Airport which was also built some years ago is yet to attract the operating airlines which are usually out for profit that only airports with heavy traffic can guarantee. The airport is certainly not thriving except for charter operations and the occasional airlifting of pilgrims for the Hajj.
On his part, former Senator Gbenga Aluko sees no reason that the Ekiti State Government should consider the building of an airport as a priority at this moment. To him, the project is economically unviable. “It is unsustainable, unnecessary and ill-advised,” he said. He urged the State Government to direct its resources towards the building of good quality roads instead.