Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, says the newly inaugurated Ekiti Airport will open up the state to partake actively in global commerce and tourism, if fully harnessed and managed.
Sirika, who performed the official inauguration of the airport, was among the personalities onboard the aircraft, which flew all the way from Abuja to make the historic landing on Ekiti soil.
The first aircraft, ATR 42 Nigeria Air Force plane piloted by Flight Lieutenant E.A. Balogun, landed at the airport’s runway at exactly 10.20 a.m amidst cheers and excitement by eminent guests, government officials and members of the public who came to witness the historic occasion.
Shortly after the plane landed and taxied to the tarmac, the excited crowd of residents and guests were seen taking pictures of the moving aircraft and enthusiastically welcomed the Aviation Minister and officials of the agencies, who disembarked from the aircraft.
Sirika announced to the excited audience that the Federal Government would site a cargo facility at the airport.
He described the Ekiti Airport as “an extremely very important project” which would in turn facilitate import and export of goods and commodities.”
The minister recalled that when he was on the site for groundbreaking in October 2019, there were divergent views as to the viability of the project, saying airports are being used as “one-city nation-states in the world” to drive their economy.
According to him, I used to make an assertion, that one mile long road leads to nowhere, but one mile runway leads to everywhere.
“You see, I came here today through the runway of this airport provided by Gov. Fayemi. There is future with this project, market and trade can drive everybody here.
“I was at ABUAD, I saw the university, the farm, the industrial park and the hospital,” he said.
The minister said that with an airport here, it would connect people to this facility and reduce foreign medical tourism.
“Airports are by no means the best catalysts for economic growth of any state or nation.
“Thirty-five per cent of global trade by value is moved through airports and 18.6 dollar billion of cargo is moved daily through air transportation.
“The wealthy among you should take to agriculture for example and begin to produce things that you will be exported to other parts of the world. You can be land-locked, but you cannot be sky-locked. We can all see the importance of having a facility like this.
“Thank you, Mr Governor, you have provided this facility for the people of Ekiti; they should own it,” Sirika said.
An excited outgoing Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who could not hide his joy, said: “My job is done.”
Fayemi expressed satisfaction that the project eventually saw the light of day, 10 years after its conception during his first administration in 2012.
A fulfilled Fayemi said: “My job is done, Ekiti Kete,” and this drew a thunderous applause from the crowd that thronged the tarmac to be part of the occasion.