The Minister of
State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, will on Thursday engage the Industry’s Stakeholders
on issues arising from the proposed closure of the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International
Airport, Abuja, for repairs on its runway.
Sirika disclosed
this in a statement issued by Mr James Odaudu, Deputy Director, Press and
Public Affairs, Ministry of Transportation on Monday in Abuja.
He said the meeting
was a follow-up to the decision of the Federal Government to temporarily shut
down operations at the airport for six weeks in February and March.
According to the
minister, the Stakeholders’ Forum will afford him with the opportunity to
officially inform the sector’s players of the decision.
“It is also to brief
them on efforts being made to ensure that the use of the Kaduna International
Airport as an alternative during the six-Week closure of the Abuja Airport is
seamless and hitch-free
“The Stakeholders
will also be expected to make their contributions and key into the plans to
make their operations during the period less problematic,” he said.
Sirika, however,
emphasised that the Forum was in line with government’s belief in ventilating
people’s opinions in formulating and executing policies.
He said that
government was aware of the likely high level of discomfort and inconvenience
the proposed closure of the airport would cause air transport passengers,
airline operators and other service providers.
He explained that
the decision was informed by safety and security concerns, saying that
government would rather lose billions of dollars in revenue than to risk lives.
The minister also
disclosed that the ministry would invite other Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) as well as security agencies and the Kaduna State Government
who were expected to play roles during the six-week period.
The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the minister had in December revealed government
plans to shut down the airport while briefing newsmen on its efforts toward
addressing the challenges of aviation fuel.
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