World-Class Airport As Gain Of Continuity In Ekiti

With the touching down of “Aviation 001,” the official aircraft of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Devel­opment on the tarmac of the Ekiti State Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport on 20th January, 2025, the stage is now set for the commencement of commercial flights from the state-owned air­port.

The landing of Minister, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), and his entourage was symbolic and it marked a significant turning point in the trajectory of the Ek­iti Airport which many cynics never believed would be a reality but has now been made possible by a steely resolve of Governor Biodun Oyebanji to pursue the project to a logical and glorious conclusion to further enhance economic growth and develop­ment in the state.

An apparently impressed Min­ister Keyamo said “Ekiti is now ready for the world” with the cur­rent state of the project which he described as “99.5 per cent ready.” The Minister expressed delight that the airport has one of the big­gest runways in the world which can accommodate the landing of bigger aircraft.

The Ekiti Airport, in the last few months, has played host to officials of aviation regulatory agencies, journalists and other interest groups who came to as­certain its state of readiness for public use. Preparatory to the visit of the Minister, the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) had commenced the cali­bration of landing systems at the airport in readiness for commer­cial flight operations.

The NAMA calibration team which landed at the airport with their aircraft on 11th January performed the key regulatory function barely one month after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Au­thority (NCAA) granted approv­al for non-scheduled flight oper­ations at the airport for a period of six months.

The visit of the Minister, the most senior official in the avia­tion sector, was the icing on the cake for the confirmation of the readiness of the Ekiti Airport for full-blown aviation activities adding it to one of the air gate­ways in Nigeria. Judging by their various posts on the social media platforms, Ekiti in Diaspora are excited that they can now connect their home state by air.

On the second day of his visit, 21st January, Governor Oyebanji led Minister Keyamo back to the airport to conduct a tour of the facilities on ground for the august visitor to see things for himself and testify to the readiness of the airport. Facilities inspected include runway and terminal, control tower, baggage han­dling section, arrival/departure lounge, security post, fire station, among others.

Speaking with journalists af­ter inspecting the facilities at the airport, the Minister commended Governor Oyebanji for commit­ting enormous resources to de­liver an airport of international standard, describing its runway as “world-class.”

He said: “As I mentioned yes­terday, Ekiti Agro Allied Inter­national Cargo Airport is 99.5 percent ready for full commercial operations. I am sure you have seen that we have gone around, the basic requirements for the take-off of an airport are here, you have the fire station, the tower, navigational equipment already installed, all security equipment in place, the runway we have here is of international standard.

“You can also see how big the apron is, it can park many 737s with narrow bodies. A lot of nar­row bodies can come here and anchor. So, as it is today, Ekiti is ready for the world.

“And a fact that the Governor has put a lot of passion and re­sources since he came to office is a testament to his desire for this project. What is left is to ignite all regulatory agencies in aviation to give all the necessary approvals.

“I landed here to show the world that it’s now safe for land­ing, which is why Aviation 001 had to land here; it’s a testament that I have confidence in the fa­cilities here for public use. The commercial airline will start coming in anytime from now,” the Minister added.

Expressing his excitement on the readiness of the airport, Governor Oyebanji said the land­mark project “is another dividend of continuity reaped by the peo­ple of Ekiti State,” noting that the development speaks to the alignment of vision of the imme­diate past Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who started the project, and that of the current adminis­tration led by him.

Governor Oyebanji also ex­pressed appreciation to the Avi­ation Minister, elder statesman and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making the dreams of the found­ing fathers and the entire Ekiti people come to reality with their unwavering support towards the completion of the airport project.

He noted that the successful landing at the airport by the Min­ister was a signal that it was safe for chartered and commercial flights to make use of the airport for the benefit of the business class, tourists, visitors and for the transport of humans and cargo to and from the Land of Honour.

Governor Oyebanji said: “The economy of our state stands to benefit a lot from the project as jobs will be created through ag­riculture, commerce, and tourism as well as added value to proper­ties in the area because of the anticipated inflow of traffic in the area.

“Now that the Honourable Minister has landed here, it is a stamp of authority that the air­port is ready for non-scheduled flight. So, anybody that has a chartered flight can fly into this place without any fear, and very soon commercial flight opera­tions would commence.

“It is a dual-purpose airport; it’s going to serve agro-allied products as well as commercial passengers.”

The smiles on the face of the Governor during the tour were tell-tale signs of his excitement and fulfillment for the completion of a legacy project that has the capacity of opening up the state the more to the outside world and mitigating the effects of be­ing landlocked to its economic advantage.

Inheriting the project from his predecessor, the Governor who was determined to ensure that the project received the needed certifications at all the stages involved, showed an uncommon commitment to ensure that it reached its current enviable sta­tus.

He ensured the payment of compensation to landowners and farmers who had economic trees on the land but were not captured by the initial compensation done by the immediate past adminis­tration. Besides, Governor Oye­banji meticulously supervised the procurement of all needed facil­ities to make the dream a reality. Even when skeptics alleged that the airport project was a charade, Governor Oyebanji did not dig­nify such allegations with a re­sponse, instead, he channeled his energy and focus on actualizing the project, with the understand­ing that the successful completion of the airport and commence­ment of flight operation would be a more meaningful response to skeptics.

The airport is already prov­ing to be a project that will have multiplier effects on the state economy as land in nearby com­munities has appreciated in an­ticipation of the economic boom to be experienced when total com­mercial flights commence. Close to a dozen chartered flights had landed and taken off from the air­port between the time of the visit of the Minister till date. It would appear the people cannot wait. In addition to this, some interested airlines have also visited the air­port with their crew of pilots and engineers for a proper assessment of the facility.

Key aviation regulatory agen­cies like the Nigeria Civil Avia­tion Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Federal Airports Au­thority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and commercial airlines are expected to set up offices at the airport.

The proposed Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base next to the airport premises will further en­hance the security of lives and property within the complex and the communities that are contig­uous to it. Though development is yet to commence on the land already allocated for the purpose, a detachment of NAF Regiment personnel of the Mobile Air De­fence Team has since been de­ployed to the airport.

The development of a pur­pose-built Aviation Quarters in­side the airport is at the advanced planning stage. Construction is expected to commence soon. The airport is expected to provide hundreds of direct and indirect jobs when it becomes fully oper­ational. The Biodun Oyebanji ad­ministration is excited about the job and economic opportunities it would provide for the teeming population of youth, in line with the shared prosperity agenda of the administration.

While former Governor Fayemi should be praised for starting the project taking it to an appreciable level, Governor Oyebanji deserves accolade for continuing the project and adding a touch of excellence to deliver a world-class project. Ekiti is better for it.

• Ogunmola is Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Print