•Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
Ahead of the opening of the upgraded Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, the Oyo State government has donated four operational vehicles to the management of the airport.
Chairman of the airport upgrade committee, Bimbo Adekanmbi, presented the vehicles to the airport management on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde, reports Channels TV.
Speaking during the presentation, Adekanmbi said there were many facilities needed to make the airport fully operational as an international airport, noting that the state undertook to donate the vehicles because it could not rely on the Federal Government or FAAN alone.
He said: “This is a donation from the governor on behalf of the Government of Oyo State.
“As you are aware, we are carrying out an upgrade of the airport. And, for an airport to be fully operational, there are so many things that need to be supplied, and we cannot wait for the federal government to fund these. So, because the governor is headlining this upgrade, he has donated these vehicles.
“The first vehicle is to the Aviation Security Department of FAAN. The second one is to the Nigerian Police Force, Airport Command. The third one is to the Airport Operations Department. The last one is to the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“You can see that these are carefully selected agencies within the Airport. Each one is dedicated to a specific operation of the airport. And these vehicles are to be used exclusively to enhance the upgraded airport.
“The government is making this donation to underscore its commitment, which has been shown several times, and its seriousness to see that this airport lives up to its name as a new, upgraded international airport, which even the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria touched down on during the coronation of our new Olubadan, with a wide-bodied A330 aircraft. So, everything is coming together.”
Adekanmbi, who noted that the runway of the Airport is fully completed and ready for local flights, noted that the international terminal is about 35 per cent completed and should be ready by 2026.
“The runway is fully completed. The Airport is fully completed, and we are ready for local flights, which should resume any time soon. The international terminal is about 35 per cent completed, and the contractors are handing it over to us by September 2026. Then the full international flights will begin. But, for now, the airport is fully ready for business of local flights, hence the donation of these vehicles by the governor at this time, to make sure that there is absolutely no operational gap.
“What is happening is that because the Oyo State Government is headlining the upgrade, if we want it to work according to the design, the government will take a lot of responsibility for the maintenance of these vehicles. We expect that the vehicles will be used exclusively for the purpose. For instance, AFSEC is for aviation security. Police Command is for airport police to enhance security, safeguard assets, and life in the airport. Operations, of course, as the name implies, are for the operations of the airport to enhance the activities. So, these vehicles are specialised and dedicated, and intended for specific operations.
“You see, people would be able to fly any moment from now. It could be next week, it could be Monday, it could be Tuesday. We are ready, you know, we are at a very advanced stage. The hardware is ready. You know, but of course, when you are talking of flights and aviation security and security of passengers and aircraft, there are a lot of regulators. We have about eight of them. NAMA, NCAA, NIMET, FAAN, and several other agencies. And each one of those agencies will have areas where they want to see that everything is in place. But we have done everything they said we should do,” Adekanmbi added.
In his remarks, the Manager, Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Mr Oluwagbenga Afuwape, on behalf of the Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, appreciated Governor Makinde for donating the vehicles.
Noting that the governor has done well for the airport, Afuwape said that the donation proved that he is truly committed to boosting the economy of the state through the upgraded airport.
Similarly, the Manager, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) at the Airport, Mr Famosinpe Gbenga, while commending Makinde for the gesture, said the vehicles came at the right time.
He assured the governor that they would not rest on their oars, saying the donation of the vehicles would enhance the agencies’ operational abilities.
The Airport Chief Security, Mr Victor Adeya, also said the donation marked a defining moment in the partnership between FAAN and Oyo State Government.
He described the partnership as one characterised by developmental and transformational achievements around the airport.
