The second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja will soon be under construction, according to Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development.
While discussing compensation and relocation for Abuja natives who were impacted by the proposed construction of a second runway for NAIA, the minister met with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The minister posted this information on his verified X page, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.
The minister claimed that before development began on the land, it was imperative that the locals be paid and evacuated.
Recall that the Federal Government allocated 12,000 hectares of land in 2022 to support the development of a few aviation projects.
The China Civil Engineering building Corporation Nigeria Limited has also been given the building site for the second runway at the Abuja airport.
Other projects that would be carried out on the property include an MRO facility, an aviation leasing firm, agro-allied cargo terminals, an aerotropolis or airport city, a national carrier, the Africa Aerospace and Aviation University, and others.
Keyamo mentioned that he also spoke with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to address the issue with Emirates Airline flights to Dubai/UAE. He continued by saying that both ministries are collaborating to find a solution to this issue as well as the related concern over the resumed issuance of Dubai visas to Nigerians.
The statement reads, “Earlier today, I met with my counterparts in the Foreign Affairs and FCT Ministries to work together to resolve concerns facing our Ministries.
“The first is to jointly cooperate with the FCT Ministry to address the problem of the FCT natives who must be compensated and relocated before the development of the second runway at the Abuja airport can begin in earnest. The contractors have been organized to arrive at the location.
The second is to cooperate with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to find a solution to the problems relating to the restart of Emirates Airline flights to Dubai/UAE and the restart of the issuing of Dubai visas to Nigerians.
Right now, these concerns are moving forward.
