Asaba Int’l Airport in full operations in six months – Okowa

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta says the Asaba International Airport will resume full operations in six months’ time in line with the standards prescribed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Okowa stated this on Wednesday in Asaba while performing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Asaba City Mall billed to cost
about 40 million dollars (about N10 billion).

The governor noted that government would ensure the completion of the Cargo terminal of the airport to boost business activities in the state.

He said: “though there are issues with the airport, we have made progress and the contractor is already back to site.
“I believe that in another six months, our airport will meet the required standard that all planes can land.

“We are planning to build the Cargo airport terminal which will definitely be of much interest to the companies that are developing the Asaba City Mall.

“This is because they can bring their goods and services to Asaba from other parts of the world with greater speed and ease”.
According to him, the airport development in Asaba is something that will help business to grow.

On the multi-million dollar shopping mall project, the governor said there was no doubt that it would stir up and stimulate economic growth of the state in terms of commerce and job creation.

He said that government would create the enabling environment that would ensure that investors work under peaceful conditions to boost industrial development in the state.

“I want to commend Resilient Africa and Baysol Development Company for bringing this project to Asaba and a similar project to Warri which is already completed.

“We are an investment friendly state and we will continue to encourage investors who are coming into the country, especially to Delta State, both in the area of industrialisation and commerce,” he said.

The governor called for collaboration between companies operating in the state and their host communities.

He said that cordial relationship would promote mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence, especially where the communities were given some percentages in the ownership structure of the companies.

Earlier, the representative of Resilient Africa, Mr Holden Marshal, said that the company had successfully completed the Warri City Mall which currently plays host to Shoprite.

He said that the Asaba City Mall would cost his organisation about 40 million dollars to build.

-NAN