Preparations are in top gear for the commencement of scheduled and non-scheduled flights at the Ogun State Cargo Airport located at Ilisan-Iperu road in the next six weeks, the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has said.
Speaking to newsmen after inspecting the airport project, the governor noted that work was being intensified to have a couple of flights take off from the airport to Abuja and other parts of the country and bring passengers to Ogun State.
He said: “Very soon, we begin to operate scheduled and non-scheduled flights here. What we are waiting for is for the terminal building to be up, but in the meantime, we are going to convert the warehouse to a temporary terminal building because that is part of the requirements of the regulatory authorities.
“I am pleased that things are going on as planned. The airport is sitting on a Special Agro-Processing Zone and it is being developed by Arise, one of our partners. They are also proceeding with their plans. I am sure that in another six weeks, scheduled flights will begin to operate from here.”
He expressed delight with the level of work done so far, saying the runway which is the longest in Nigeria could compete with the best anywhere in the world, while the apron, where planes are parked, is currently the biggest in Nigeria.
Governor Abiodun said though many did not believe the airport could become a reality, his administration spend every day living up to its promise, adding that multiple flights have landed and taken off from the airport after the first test flights early this year.
“About two weeks ago, the Vice President of Nigeria took off from Abuja and landed here and also took off from here and return to Abuja amongst many other flights. But more importantly, we are progressing with our plans for this airport. Where we are standing is one of the warehouses that is being constructed and it is the first of the many warehouses here.
“I am impressed with the quality of work done so far. The Apron, where the planes are parked is the biggest in Nigeria today. The runway is the longest and best constructed in Nigeria today according to the pilots that have landed at the airport,”,l the governor added.
While assuring that more policies would be reviewed to further enhance the Ease of Doing Business to attract more investors to the State, Prince Abiodun said in a few weeks, his administration would unveil the new Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and the new Bureau of Lands Management and Administration, to enable people who buy land get their C of O in 30 days.
With the new policy direction of the federal government and new constitutional amendments that allow states to generate and distribute electricity, the state helmsman said Ogun State would key into it just as he informed that the state is the first in Nigeria to unveil its first sets of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.
He said a bus and electric car Assembly Plant would be sited at the cargo airport calling on investors to take advantage of the economic opportunities that abound to invest in the state.
Also speaking, Captain Maigida of KSR Global Airline, with 40 years of flying experience, described the runway of the airport as “long and wide that can be compared to the best around the world.”
He expressed optimism that with what he experienced when landing, the airport would be pilots’ delight when completed.
