By ALEX ENEBELI

The Enugu State Caucus in the House of Representatives has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government?s plan to concession the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

The Rep members described the development as a potential catalyst for the South East economy.

A statement jointly signed by the caucus leader, Mr. Nnolim Nnaji, as well as Martins Oke, Dennis Agbo, Anayo Onwuegbu, Chimaobi Atu, Sunday Umeha, Paul Nnamchi and Mark Obetta, members representing the eight federal constituencies in Enugu State, commended the Federal Government for the initiative.

They urged the government to hasten the concession process to enable the people of the South-East and the nation in general to benefit from it in earnest.

The Rep members equally called on the people of the region to support the concessions as the only way to guarantee sustainable investment to fully develop the airport into a truly international facility.

?Due to poor capital investment, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, remains partially completed and indeed an international airport only in name over two decades since it was designated as such by the federal government.

?Critical components such as cargo terminal, runway, international terminal, among others, are either non-existent or requiring completion or upgrade.

?Businesses and the people of the South-East especially, have borne the brunt of these inadequacies, which manifest in the paucity of international flights and intermittent closure of the airport for repair of the runway, as recently witnessed.

?Therefore, we believe that the concessions of the airport, as currently being processed by the federal government, is the only realistic approach to attracting adequate resources to build the requisite infrastructure and expand existing ones,? the rep. members were quoted as saying.

They explained that concession was not the same thing as privatisation or sale of the airport as being peddled by some persons.

According to them, it is a well-known process, and tenured to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, which pulls private capital investment into public infrastructure, while government retains ownership and regulatory or supervisory authority.

?We call on the federal government to hasten this process, for the people of the South East region in particular and Nigeria in general to start benefiting from the huge possibilities and blessings it holds.

?Indeed, we also have faith in federal government through the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to entrust the airport concessionaire with the financial and technical prowess, strong international pedigree and reputation to actualise the target.

?Nothing less than this is acceptable and capable of catalysing the much-needed South East regional economic prosperity and transformation,? they said. (NAN)

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