A well- known philanthropist, oil mogul and billionaire businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, has embarked on a venture aimed at solving the water problem of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. The Anambra State-born prince has finalised plans to use his personal resources to construct a dam and water retention points from the nearby Ekulu River, from which the airport would be readily supplied. His decision to use his personal resources, according to a source, was due to a non-committal response from the Aviation Ministry which claimed that the project, though apt, was not in this 2017 year’s budget. Experts had been invited to do the costing for the project and its feasibility and the cost put at over N20 million.

The nagging problem, Drumnews online gathered, had been one of the reasons, apart from its not too good runway, for the refusal of most international airlines to commence commercial flights to the airport. Most of the airlines had insisted that there should a constant supply of water to the airport through hydrants at the disposal of the firefighting department in case of any emergency, which has not been the case. The airport has no borehole facility and is only connected to the Enugu public water supply which has been erratic. “There a days”, according a worker at the airport, “when there would be no drop of water at the airport for use either for the Fire department assuming there was need, or for sanitary purposes”.

 

Further investigation by the Drum newsonline revealed that the whole idea of damming the nearby Ekulu River came from the newly posted Controller of Nigeria Customs Service, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi Command, Mr Sulaiman, who, out of his genuine desire to boost commercial activities at the latest inaugurated international airport in Nigeria, inquired to find out why other international carriers were not patronizing the airport. He was reliably told that most international airlines shunned the airport because it had no source of water. He came up with the idea that the river, which is less than 400 meters from the Run way, could be tapped, piped to the airport into storage facilities for use. He was said to have approached Prince Eze, pleading that he used his wide contacts to get the Aviation Ministry buy the idea and improve the lot of the airport and Southeast in general. He bought the idea.

Prince Eze was said to have immediately reached out to the office of the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sidika, who was said to have agreed and approved the proposal but lamented that the project though plausible, might not be entertained this year.  The Customs boss was said to have further pleaded with the business mogul to use his resources to embark on it  as a priority to the region and the country at large, and later seek for refunds from the federal government, should he desire.

Consequently, Prince Eze who is reputed for freely financing multi-million Naira ventures,  was said to have sourced and already mobilized experts from Lagos, who visited the site last week to assess the project with a view to commencing work. If the project materializes, it would solve the nagging water problem at the international airport and create an enabling environment for other airlines to explore the Enugu route.

Presently, only Ethiopian Airlines fly the route and Drum newsonline learnt that officials of Turkish Airlines were at the airport two weeks ago to seek the possibility of commencing flight operations to the airport. The issue of water was one of the red flags raised. The other was the Tarmac, which might not take very big airplanes.

However, an official of the airport who refused to be quoted as he had no authority to speak on behalf of its Management, confirmed the visit of the Turkish Airlines as well as plans to improve the water situation at the airport.

As at last week when Drum newsonline visited the airport, it was seen that repair works on the damaged portion of the Terminal Building by windstorm late last year, had almost been completed. The repair work was accelerated by the visit of the Southeast Caucus of the Senate to the airport and its consequent motion on its deplorable condition on the floor of the upper chamber.

Source: Drum newsonline