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In the beginning, there was Oba airport:
Every time I drive past that airport site in Oba, I always imagined how much development the project would bring to the area. A landing strip for commercial cargo means that warehousing and real estate business would thrive in the area. More employment opportunities will also be created for our teeming young population. These were all exciting thoughts to wallow in but the fact remained that the project was abandoned and no one was making any tangible effort to resuscitate it. In April of 2007, when Andy Uba, former special assistant on domestic affairs to General Obasanjo, rigged his way into the government house in Anambra state, he began to play on the sentiments of the citizens of Anambra, using the airport project. At every opportunity, he would announce that he was soon going to mobilize all necessary resources to complete the project. Infact, one of his acolytes once wrote in an internet discussion forum that some heavy construction machinery, at the behest of Andy Uba, were already heading towards Oba for groundbreaking. Clearly, Uba was playing to the gallery, attempting to ingratiate himself into the hearts and minds of Anambra citizens who rejected him as their governor with mere propaganda. Much later, after Andy Uba's ouster from the government house and the assumption of power by Peter Obi, the issue of the Oba airport project came back to fore. This time, though, we heard that an environmental impact assessment of the project proved that the site was unsuitable. The Chairman of a 15-man airport committee, put together by Governor Peter Obi, explained that the Oba site was going to be abandoned because it did not have enough land for expansion, was susceptible to erosion and had a high-tension cable going through it. The Obi government decided to move the site to Umuleri, a place that is said to have endless amount of land. Inspite of the engineering reasons adduced for moving the site away from Oba, I was appalled. Does it mean, I wondered, that the Oba site was not really studied for feasibility before previous governments started pouring money into the site, money that had now gone down the drain? As I pondered this puzzle, there were people from Anambra state, especially Oba, who felt that Governor Peter Obi simply wanted to punish Oba and Nnewi because he was not getting along with his Deputy who hails from Nnewi. Whatever the reason for the move, the fact remains that as I write this piece, the actual status of the Anambra airport project is unclear. Some days, we hear that it is still on track and other days, we hear that there is no money for it. All in all, this dilly dallying equivocation, about the project, simply buttressed the feeling I have about most Nigerian politicians. Do not believe what they say unless you see true action. Enter Asaba Airport project: It was with the cynicism engendered by the elusive Oba airport project that I approached the news of a proposed airport at Asaba, Delta State. Granted, I loved the idea of an airport in Asaba because I imagined that it would almost play the same transportation role, for Anambra state citizens, that the Oba airport would have played. For one, Asaba is a mere one hour from the furthest parts of Anambra State. Needless to say, though, that my enthusiasm was a very cautious one at best. I thought to myself that the talk about Asaba airport project was another political stunt akin to the one about an Oba airport and would soon blow by. As a result, I adopted the mantra of seeing is believing, consciously ratcheting down my optimism so as not to be disappointed.
I was however surprised when Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta included the Asaba project in his 2008 budget. The seven billion naira project was subsequently approved! The proposed Asaba airport, which was to be located just off of Asaba - Benin expressway, on a 5,000-hectare site, was to have a three kilometer runway and taxiway with provision for expansion and a modern-looking terminal building. It would have a 10-storey control tower equipped to international standards. The construction duration was pegged at 24-months. I must confess that even after a ground breaking ceremony was performed by the Delta state governor in May of 2008, I was still skeptical. Why not? After all, many projects are routinely started in Nigeria as a conduit for siphoning money but abandoned right after ground-breaking. Inspite of my cynicism, when I got to Nigeria this past Christmas season, I penciled down a visit to the site of the so-called Asaba International airport in my diary. My journey to Asaba from Nnewi, which was fairly uneventful at first, except for a few potholes on the road around Oba area, came to a screeching halt as soon as we came close to the Upper Iweka cloverleaf overpass. The road was so packed that I wondered if we were ever going to get to Asaba. It took eternity to snake up the overpass, around the cloverleaf and back down toward the Niger bridge head. It was madness! Vehicles improvised several lanes of traffic, all headed toward the bridge which only had a two lane capacity. It was frustration galore for drivers. Some were cutting into the front of others and insults were being hurled here and there. On the whole, I calculated that it took us about 40 minutes to drive from Nnewi to Upper Iweka road in Onitsha but then we spent about two hours to drive from Upper Iweka road to the Onitsha end of the Niger bridge. Granted, the holiday traffic exacerbated the situation, but the major problem was created by the Niger Bridge whose traffic capacity was no longer big enough to accommodate the soaring traffic from Onitsha. The bridge had become a bottleneck that was constricting traffic. Relief came as soon as our vehicle entered the Asaba side of the Niger Bridge. I saw what one would categorize as very noticeable development in Delta State. The dual carriageway, with concrete curb demarcation in the middle, orchestrated a very orderly flow of traffic as it should. The road was very clean and devoid of the madness and hustle and bustle that characterized the Onitsha side of the bridge. As a civil engineer, my eyes were trained on the roadway, gauging the quality of construction as our vehicle literally glided effortlessly along. I was impressed by the smoothness of the ride and the horizontal and vertical curves. Even though I could not stop to take a close look at the side of the roadway pavement, to get a sense of the thickness of asphalt and stone base, a factor that determines durability, my conclusion was that the macadam would stand the test of time. Along both sides of the road were neatly lined up electric light structures and before I could say a word, the vehicle driver, who seemed to be fascinated by my interest in the development, noted that all the lights were functional and that the roadway turned into something of a heavenly scene at night! I sensed the pride with which he was saying it even though he was not from Delta State. As our vehicle continued along Asaba-Benin expressway, heading for the site of the Asaba airport, I kept wondering when the smooth expressway would be replaced by the pothole-laden road type of road that we have come to know in Nigeria. It was not to be. The "beautiful" road network continued uninterrupted. Soon the driver began to slow down. Pointing towards the left, he said with an air of effusive enthusiasm, "there is the airport to the left". Soon I saw a sign that confirmed it. As an architect myself, I must confess that I was impressed by not only the nature of the structures springing up there but also by the progress that had been made. The reader should recall that the foundation laying ceremony of this project took place only in May of 2008. There we were in December of 2008 with the access road into the airport already constructed and the terminal building and runway already at a decent stage. The design of the building I saw under construction would compete with many other modern airports of comparable size around the globe. The managing director of the contractor in charge of the project, U.L.O Consultant, has predicted that the first plane would touch down there by December 2009. If one goes by the pace of progress, that prediction may come to pass.
On another trip past Asaba, toward Lagos, I noticed that the Asaba Benin roadway, remained the same excellent quality from the Asaba side of the Niger bridge throughout Delta State. The dual carriageway, the smoothness of ride, the well designed vertical and horizontal curves and the likes never changed with distance from Asaba. I did not detect issues of poor site distance at crest or sag curves. The case of the progress being made with the Asaba airport project as well as the quality of roads in Delta State proved to me that Nigerian politicians were capable of good if they wanted. After our visit to Asaba, I continued to imagine what would be if the airport project was truly completed as promised and opened for traffic. Infact, it was stated that the airport was built according to international standards and so could land international flights! Imagine flying from New York or London to Asaba? That would be the day! To me, all these progress mean that while Anambra State was talking the talk about Oba airport and playing all manners of politics with it, Delta State was walking the walk with visible action. When I discussed what I saw in Delta State with some contemporaries back in Nnewi, they noted that Delta State receives bigger federal allocation than Anambra. I am perfectly aware of that but with leadership, tenacity and fiscal discipline, Anambra state can build an airport with public/private partnership. The reader must realize that the benefits of an airport at Asaba or anywhere are not just restricted to providing direct transportation for people and goods into the area from all parts of Nigeria and possibly the world. It will invariably create more employment opportunities for our youth, accelerate the development of the area, bring about appreciation of real estate and more. For Anambra state citizens, the completion of Asaba airport would have some unintended consequences, some palatable and some not. The next part of this commentary will examine what the completion of Asaba airport may mean for the people of Anambra State and what that government must make its priority to cope. Happy and Prosperous New Year to all my readers
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or what seems like eternity, Anambra State citizens have been waiting for the actualization of the airport project proposed for the state. This project, which has been in the works prior to the time of Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife in 1992, was originally sited in Oba, Idemili South local area, hence the name Oba airport. It was conceived as a cargo airport that would mainly serve the transportation needs of commercial towns in the state like Onitsha and Nnewi.
