Keyamo flags off construction of the Kogi International Cargo Airport

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has flagged off construction of the Kogi International Cargo Airport in Zariagi, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Keyamo performed the groundbreaking on Tuesday on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, and commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for his commitment to infrastructure. He said the project would put Zariagi and Kogi State on the global aviation map and create between 2,000 and 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.

He also dismissed criticism of the project, arguing that infrastructure should be provided to attract businesses rather than waiting for investors to arrive before facilities are built.

Ododo called the airport a milestone in the state's economic transformation. He said it would strengthen Kogi's position as a hub for commerce, transportation, logistics and investment, and open opportunities in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, especially by improving farmers' access to national and international markets.

The Commissioner for Works, Momoh Salami Ozigi, said the airport is part of efforts to diversify the state's economy beyond its dependence on the civil service. The first phase will include a 3,600-metre runway, taxiways, an aircraft parking apron, drainage, perimeter fencing and access roads. The runway will meet International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and take wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 747s.

The Managing Director of CCECC, Henry Shuo, whose company is handling the project, pledged to deploy its technical expertise to see it through.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, Keyamo credited the project to a mix of federal economic policy and the governor's priorities. He said the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market had increased revenue allocations to state governments, giving them more fiscal capacity to carry out major infrastructure, though effective leadership is still needed to turn the extra money into projects. According to Punch, he said: "What is happening here today, what the Governor has done today, will resonate many, many years, centuries after today."

On the case for an airport in Kogi, Keyamo said major infrastructure can stimulate investment instead of merely following existing business. "It is the airport that attracts these developments. The airport is the indicator of development," he said. He added that airports are identified through international aviation coding systems, and that the facility would give the community greater visibility in the global aviation industry once the relevant processes are complete.