Focus on building rail, mechanising agriculture rather than 2nd Airport – Group urges Gov. Soludo
The Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF), an NGO, on Friday called on Gov. Charles Soludo to focus on building rail and mechanising agriculture rather than building second airport in Anambra.
It would be recalled that Mr Martins Nwafor, Managing Director of Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport, Umueri, announced the plan to build a new airport in Ndikelionwu, Orumba North LGA, during experts’ tour of the site on Thursday.
The Chairman of NUF, Chief Augustine Chukwudum, made the call in a statement in Enugu.
Chukwudum queried the push for a second airport when the first one recently built in Anambra East LGA was yet to be optimally utilised.
He said that the teeming population of the state, being mostly traders, needed accessible and affordable modern intra-state/inter-state transport, which a modern speed rail service can offer.
“NUF, as a pan-Igbo socio-cultural development group, is putting it on record that Gov. Charles Soludo plan to build another airport in Anambra State is a waste of resource.
“The Orumba South Local Government Area where the new and second airport is to be built does not need an airport because the area is agricultural axis of the state that needed commercial mechanised farming.
“We are wondering why the governor has been ignoring our calls on his government to create enable environment for agricultural and agro-industrialisation business in the state.
“Anambra State has so much arable land that grows all kind of crops,” he said.
Chukwudum noted that it was shameful that due to lack of ideas and innovation by successive governments, the state abandoned its agricultural potential.
According to him, the current governor should not embark on the second airport project as such it will be a white elephant project as well as a loss to the residents of the state.