Ohaneze Ndigbo youth say they will not allow federal government to close Enugu airport

PAN-Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohaneze Ndigbo's youth wing has opposed the planned closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu by the federal government over claims that it poses a security risk.

One of Nigeria's airports badly in need of investment, the Enugu facility is already facing the threat of being downgraded to a domestic one because its runway is seen as sub-standard. Now, aviation officials have threatened to close the airport altogether unless the Enugu State government removes illegal structures said to be posing a threat to safe flight operations at the facility.

Whenever it rains, the Enugu airport gets flooded and to make matters worse, its runway is a pot hole-ridden death trap and it is only a matter of time before the tyres of a landing aircraft explode while landing. Last year, former vice president and presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said he is always scared of travelling to Enugu because of the terrible state of the airport runway.

However, Chidozie Orizu, the special assistant to Ohaneze Ndigbo's national youth leader, Arthur Obiora,  advised the federal government  to shelve its plans to  shut down the airport to avoid chaos. Mr Orizu warned aviation minister Hadi Sirika that the Ohaneze Ndigbo youth would not sit back and allow the airport to be shut.

He added:  “The government should deviate from such a  plot as this will block  the economic development of Igboland. The minister should steer clear, otherwise it would cause chaos because the said airport  has  been upgraded for use, hence the youths can’t sit back and watch it happen.”