Kano stakeholders on Thursday accused the Federal Ministry of
Aviation of systematic marginalization of Malam Aminu Kano
International Airport, alleging that the facilities installed in the
airport and substandard.
In a Press Conference attended by the business community, they
lamented that all the facilities recently commissioned by the Minister
of Aviation, Stella Oduah were not original and would soon eat up,
insisting that compared to renovation works at other airports, Kano
airport remain the least.
Spokesman for the stakeholders and president Kano chamber of Commerce
Industry, Mimes and Agriculture, Umar Rabiu Dansuleka said it is
regrettable that the Kano airport which was establish in 2005 and the
first airport in the country which had been used to promote commercial
activities, particularly in the North, is now a shadow of its old self
The group attributed the low human, cargo and general lull in aviation
activities to what they termed neglect of MAKIA by the relevant
authorities even as they disputed claims linking the decline of aviation
activities to insecurity especially the insurgency promoted by the Boko
Haram Militancy.
He pointed out that most international airlines which hitherto used the airport such as “KLM, British Airways, Alitalia, Sabena, Swiss Air, Among other chartered airlines have now abandoned the airport, this development he said has created untold hardship to the Northern business community, pointing out that effort by the stakeholders to find ways of addressing the situation review that a number of man made factors were responsible for the decline of aviation operations at the Kano airport.
“A coalition of business associations together with the Honorable
commissioner for commerce, industry, Cooperative, tourism, visited the
airport for undisclosed assessment of the recent remodeling of the
airport that was recently commissioned by the Federal Ministry of
Aviation even though not completed, that visit reviewed the
deterioration of facilities at MAKIA.
The stakeholders said for instance the 05 run-way has no night
landing facilities and in the event that the 06 run-way develop problem,
the airport has alternative landing facilities at night while the safe
tower project which was constructed in 2006, equipment purchased since
2008 have been lying idle and rusting away.
“Uncompleted passenger lodge is without facilities like conveyor
belts, electric check in counters, furniture for passengers convenience,
central air-condition system, while passengers will have to wait
between two to three hours for them to disembark with their accompanied
luggage as provision made is manual”.
The group further claimed that x-ray screening machines are
conspicuously not in place same as the screening cubicles for security
agents like Immigration, NDLEA, and others are not available at the
departure and arrival halls. “The conveyer belts installed at the
arrival hall are not the originally recommended belt the contract
agreement, just as the toilet facilities are substandard with leaking
pipes.
Concluding the Kano businessmen said it is appropriate to declare
therefore that “the facilities at the Airport were abandoned with
reckless impunity by the Federal Ministry of Aviation for many years and
the so called remodeling project was glaringly substandard compared
with other sister Airport; Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt that were
renovated alongside with the MAKIA.
We also suspect a grand design to frustrate the completion of the
remodeling of MAKIA as no serious commissioning work has been felt since
three months ago.
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