The governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson has accused the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of playing politics with the multi-million naira Bayelsa International Airport Project.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 3.5km-runway airport located on the Tombia-Amassoma Road, Dickson stated that several airports operate in the country without the kind of sophisticated aviation equipment at the new airport.
“We want to use this opportunity to call on the NCAA and the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, issue the necessary permits to enable the airport take off.
“The airport is one of best in the country. It has the latest equipment in the aviation industry. It will bring the world to the Ijaw nation and open up Bayelsa State for rapid development.
“This airport will outlive all of us and will continue to serve the Ijaw nation and the whole world,” he said.
He said the state had completed a terminal building for local flights while the other when completed would serve international flights.
“We are calling on them (the federal government) to be alive to their undertakings and come and complete their own terminal building. We have enough room for terminal buildings. This is an international airport,” he added.
The governor said everything at the airport was put together by the state government stressing that the initial contract awarded by the federal government through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to sand-fill the airport area did not come to fruition.
“Everything you see here in this airport was put down by the government of your state; none by the Federal Government.
“I took a decision that the government of Bayelsa State must drive the essential components of this airport. The sand-filling, we will not leave it for anybody. The runway, we will not wait for anybody.
“There is no single NDDC sand in this airport. The federal government, after we lost 2015 presidential election, never returned to site to build the terminal building. We spoke to them several times and they declined to come,” he added.
He debunked reports that the airport was flooded saying the rumour was “actually an attempt by mischief makers to de-market the state and the airport.”
It would be recalled that the acting director general of NCAA, Capt. Abdullahi Sidi, had said that the new airport would not be issued a certificate to start commercial operation unless a perimeter fence was built.
He said the absence of adequate perimeter fence was the reason NCAA had not certified the airport.
“Every airport must have what is called perimeter fence, which could be solid wall with a buffer and sharp fence to stop infiltration into the airport environment.
“Also, we have what we called the air side and the passenger side of an airport. The air side is supposed to be much more secured than the passenger side.
“Perimeter fencing is number one requirement for any airport, which is safety. Someone said the government has done about 60 per cent of the perimeter fencing and said the other side of the airport is creek, but I said that is not acceptable to aviation industry.
“That perimeter fencing is the only thing remaining for Bayelsa Airport. There is no politics about it. That is the requirement. And anything security is taken seriously. It is a security issue. If we need to close an airport because of security issue, we will until they comply,” he said.
