By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM

Gov. Alex Otti of Abia on Thursday, said the Abia Airport project would be completed on schedule.

Speaking to newsmen after a meeting of the State Government with Nsulu Airport Communities Landowners Forum in Umuahia, Otti said the government had taken several steps to ensure the project would not be abandoned.

The governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Caleb Ajagba, expressed resolve of the government to constantly engage host communities to secure their “productive collaboration” towardvthe project.

“There is need for us to make sure that host communities are carried along and that is why we are here and had a number of meetings with individual host communities and also collectively.

“Also, what you are seeing here is a collection of the host communities and they are the people representing the land owners.

“We have tried to underscore the need to move forward in order to make sure that the project is actualised and completed on schedule.

“There is no doubt that all of us here are on the same page in terms of the relevance and importance of this project to Abia.”

He said the government had taken into cognisance, the fact that a project of this magnitude would require a lot of sacrifice from host communities.

“We have been able to touch base with them, also to seek their productive collaboration to make sure that within the space that has been projected for the completion of this airport work continues,” he said.

Otti thanked President Bola Tinubu for giving his approval for the siting of an airport in the state and for choosing Nsulu as a place for it.

He also thanked the people of Nsulu for their commitment to his administration’s agenda to ensure that every project initiated in Abia would be completed.

Otti restated commitment of the government to adopting ongoing engagement with genuine landowners until the successful completion of the airport project.

“It has been a very productive meeting and we have agreed that this meeting will continue and this engagement will continue till the project is finally completed.

“We have also on the same platform that the cutting of the traces must be completed to ensure that we identify the genuine landowners.

“We have agreed that after that is done, enumeration will continue and adequate compensation will be paid.

“We also agreed that Abia indigenes , especially Nsulu people will have the right to work and benefit from the project, so the first right of employment will be extended to Nsulu people.

“Also, we are on the same page that as earmarked, the project will not be abandoned,” he said.

Responding, a representative of the Forum, Chief Uzo Azubuike, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting.

Azubuike charged those, whom he described as intruders, to steer clear of the project to enable state government identify the real land owners for enumeration and payment of adequate compensation.

He thanked the government for making the first adjustments by reducing the size of the area intended for use of the project.

Azubuike, also pleaded with the government to further consider reducing the size of the land mass already earmarked for the airport project.

Azubuike, further, said that this was necessary for survival of the communities, predominantly made up of farmers.

He expressed determination of the host communities to continually support the government to facilitate the realisation of the project. (NAN)