By Francis Ogwo
Three construction firms interested in the proposed Obudu Airport Project on Tuesday participated in an open bidding conducted by Cross River State Government.
The project which is situated in Obudu local government area in the Northern part of the state when completed would be an International Cargo and Passenger Airport and one of the flagship projects of the Ben Ayade administration.
The State Commissioner for Aviation, Dr. Jacob Otu Enyia while speaking at the event noted that the project was first advertised in three national newspapers in February and opening scheduled for March but was truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic thereby leading to its rescheduling for October 27 but was again disrupted by the nationwide protests.
Enyia expressed confidence in the State Government in ensuring a successful completion of the project even as it had a provision in the state’s appropriation bill for 2021 while also adding that tourism which is a major earner for the state would be given a major boost by the project.
“We are convinced that the Obudu International Cargo and Passenger Airport holds a lot of promise for us as a government and people determined to raise the bar of Industrialisation and tourism in Nigeria”, he added.
A member of the State House of Assembly , Nelson Ofem who is also the House Committee Chairman on Aviation, applauded the officials for transparency in the bidding process while urging the State to monitor the eventual contractor for quality project.
You may recall that KaftanPost in 2019 reported that villages within the airport project catchment area protested that their lands were taken over.
The three villages in Obudu local government area made an outcry on the matter which led to violence in the area.
On the 4th May 2019, the Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade was reported to have written to the heads of three villages in Obudu local government area namely; Atikpe, Ikwomikwu and Okambi, requesting for their cooperation for the commencement and speedy completion of a new airport.
The letter was said to have stated the State government’s plan to acquire about 9-square kilometres of land from the three communities for the project to be known as ‘Obudu International Passenger and Cargo Airport (OIA)’.
