Abia airport to engage manpower from host community – Craneburg
The Abia airport project consultants, CRANEBURG Construction Company, confirmed on Monday that they will engage skilled and unskilled manpower from the airport host community, Nsulu in Isialangwa North LGA of the state, in the prosecution of the project.
The manager of CRANEBURG Construction Company, Seba El-Nemerwho was in Umuahia after the commencement of the clearing of the access road leading to the runway of the facility on Friday, assured, “We will be engaging both the skilled and unskilled manpower within the host communities. We would deliver accordingly.”
He thanked the state governor, Alex Otti, and the Nsulu community for the successful commencement of the processes of creating access roads to the runway and the fence.
Speaking at the site on Friday, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Calab Ajagba, reiterated that the government of Alex Otti is sincere in carrying out the project in collaboration with the Federal Government, adding that the feelings of the landowners are evident and that the people are receptive of the airport project.
“Just like I was telling the women and the host communities that I met shortly when I arrived, this is a very sincere government, and everything Dr Alex Otti has promised, he has always fulfilled. So, you can see now that the people appreciate the importance of this airport project, and so anybody that has been given the impression that Nsulu people are not favourably disposed to this project, you can see for yourself that it is not true.”
Ajagba urged the contractors to work with the locals while informing them that the government has started paying compensation to the landowners, saying, “Already, compensation is being paid. Many host communities have already received their payments, and you can see palpable joy. Everybody is happy because transparency is what engineers trust, and that’s one thing you can’t take for granted in the administration of His Excellency.”
Speaking also, the Special Assistant to the governor on Land and Housing and Project Coordinator for the Abia Airport Project said, “Today, another process of the airport has kicked off. We have done enumeration and other things. Today, we are creating the access road to the runway so that we can do the necessary soil test and other investigations at the runway. It is about 853 kilometres from the main road. So, we are looking at the next five to seven days to finish the clearing of the access way.”
Also speaking, the leader of the landowners in the Government Land Owners Forum for Abia State Airport Nsulu and chairman of the Memorandum of Agreement Committee of the project, Rt. Hon. Uzor Azubuike, commended Gov. Otti for heeding their plea to reduce the size of the land from the initial 1,800 hectares to 1,000 hectares, while a landowner, Barr Andrew Obinna Ijenri, appreciated the sincerity of the Governor Otti’s administration in carrying the people along.
Some youths and women of Nsulu communities, including the youth president of Nsulu, Prince Chisom Nwaogbe; the youth president of Umuala, Ifeanyi Nwachukwu; Mrs Bridget Ijenri; Mrs Gift Umeh; as well as the chairman of community relations for the Nsulu Airport project, Rev. Isreal Ukoma, shared their excitement about the Nsulu Airport project becoming a reality.
