The House Committee on Aviation has summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, regarding the alarming deterioration of infrastructure at Nigeria’s airports.
News About Nigeria reports that Chairman Abdullah Garba led the inquiry, intensely questioning Keyamo and other ministry officials during a meeting in Abuja.
Garba expressed deep concern about the deplorable state of facilities at local and international airports, emphasising the need for swift government action to address the issue.
The lawmaker highlighted the worrisome condition of airport infrastructure, stressing that it requires immediate attention to prevent further decline.
Furthermore, Garba pointed out that the safety of personnel and stakeholders at the nation’s airports is a major concern, indicating that more needs to be done to ensure their well-being.
The committee’s interface with the minister aimed to identify solutions to the pressing challenges facing the aviation sector and find ways to revitalise the nation’s airports.
He added that the major assignment of the committee is to help identify the equipment and other items needed to revitalise the aviation sector.
Speaking, Keyamo said that the level of infrastructural decay at the nation’s airports was a serious issue of concern to the Ministry.
He also pointed out that what the Ministry needed and is currently doing is a safety assessment within the industry as well as an international audit by the International Civil Aviation Authority, ICAO.
He, however, assured the lawmakers that the Ministry was compiling a list of requirements/equipment for upgrades and safety standards to bring all the nation’s airports to international safety standards.
On the award of contracts by the Ministry, he informed the House committee that most of the contracts awarded are still ongoing projects.
The House committee chairman and other invited stakeholders later resolved into an executive session to address the issues of concern to the lawmakers.
