Kogi to upgrade abandoned airstrip to international cargo airport
By Innocent Raphael
The Kogi State government has announced its plan to upgrade the Adogo airstrip in Kogi state, dormant for nearly two decades into an international cargo airport.
Special Adviser on Media to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, Ismaila Isah, revealed this development in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.
According to the statement, Governor Ododo unveiled the ambitious plan during a meeting with the management of the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), headed by Managing Director David Wang, at the Government House in Lokoja.
The initiative for the proposed Kogi State Cargo Airport is set to entail a partnership between the Kogi state government and CCECC, operating on a Public-Private Partnership model.
Revealing that the project’s initial steps which will involve conducting feasibility studies and engaging stakeholders, will commence within weeks, he disclosed that, a project implementation committee will be established to oversee the airport’s construction and eventual completion.
Ododo told the CCECC team that the Adogo cargo airport project is of critical importance to the economic development of the state, stressing that Kogi State is endowed with huge agricultural potential and large mineral deposits in commercial quantities that require a viable means of air transportation to be connected to markets within and outside Nigeria.
“The Governor expressed optimism that the completion of the proposed cargo airport in Adogo is a strategic project that will further advance the economic development agenda of his administration by linking Kogi State to gateways of economic activities through intermodal transportation system like the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the Warri-Itakpe-Abuja rail line when fully completed”, the statement read.
Governor Ododo emphasized the significance of current road projects, particularly feeder roads linking rural communities abundant in agricultural and mineral resources, asserting their economic potential when linked to the envisioned cargo airport in the state.
In response, David Wang, the Managing Director of CCECC, affirmed his dedication to realizing the proposed project promptly, contingent upon the completion of feasibility studies, assessments, and consultations mandated by the government.
