Fashola, Bello absent as Senate grills Amaechi, Sirika over Abuja airport closure
- Minister of transportation Rotimi Amaechi appeared before the Senate on Thursday, January 12 to explain reasons for the proposed closure of Abuja Airport
- The Senate had on Tuesday, January 10 summoned Amaechi, Fashola and some heads of aviation agency, but Fashola was absent at the Senate on Thursday
- The Minister of Federal Capital Territory Mohammed Bello, who was also summoned by the Senate on Tuesday, was absent too
The Senate has grilled Amaechi over Abuja airport closure
The minister of transport Rotimi Amaechi and his counterpart from the aviation ministry Senator Hadi Sirika appeared before the Senate to address the lawmakers on the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The Senate had on Tuesday kicked against the planned closure of the Abuja airport over repairs on its runway and the diversion of flights to the Kaduna airport.
READ ALSO: Senate summons Fashola, Amaechi, Sirika over Abuja airport closure
The lawmakers summoned Amaechi, Sirika, minister of power, works and housing Babatunde Fashola, minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mohammed Bello, chief of air staff Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar and heads of aviation agencies.
The senate, after a lengthy discussion on the matter during plenary on Tuesday, January 10, resolved to have the minister come around to explain why the airport had to be closed down for the repairs.
The Senate said it wanted the officials to provide details on the planned closure and explore other options that could avoid a total closure as it expressed its resolve to ensure that the Airport is not closed up entirely for the repairs.
Leading arguments against the closure, deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu seconded the motion jointly sponsored by Senator Hope Uzodinma and five other senators saying: "Many countries have repaired Airports without closure &many lives has been lost on Kaduna road.
"There is need to repair the runway but I don't agree with closure of the Airport.”
"I am disappointed with the approval of the closure, we should make necessary consultations and find alternative solutions to it," deputy majority leader Senator Bala Ibn Na'Allah said.
"There was a repair on John F Kennedy Airport & people still travelled, we should invite the Aviation Minister and find solutions,” Senator Anyanwu added.
READ ALSO: President Buhari sends new ‘revised’ list of ambassadorial nominees to Senate
"I will suggest that we should take the shutdown in piece meal, we can do repairs 36hours in a week or on Saturdays," Senator Barnabas Gemade submitted.
"I lost my Police orderly last week in an accident because of the bad road, we should not divert people to ply that road," Senator Akpan Bassey added on a sad note.
"This will embarrass us as a country. It will affect us economically, politically and socially. Our aviation intellectuals must think," Senator Dino Melaye said.
But Senator Shehu Sani disagreed with the motion and noted that Kaduna is ready to accommodate Nigerians should the airport be closed.
"They have created hell and want to live in paradise, if the road is bad they do not want to go there. The elites are running away from the problems they created," Senator Sani said in defence of the closure.
Recall that the government had announced that flights would be diverted to Kaduna state while the runway of the Abuja airport is repaired. The announcement has met with numerous reservations.