By Dele Sobowale

“This is what the truth is. Going behind what you hear first. Asking a hundred questions until you make up your own mind on the basis of real evidence”. James A Michener in Hawai.

James Michener was for years an editor before he became a writer of historical novels; he wrote over 20 books and he is one of my mentors – even in death. When in 1994, I first started writing general commentary, the first thing was to find out the cardinal principle of journalism and to apply it at all times to all situations and issues. It still boils down to finding the facts and not being swayed by popular opinions.

I am still not a journalist, and will never be, but the issue of Asaba Airport, which to me is still basically an economic matter has driven me to the farthest length in recent times in getting to the bottom of a story. I thank the private donors who are only interested in the investment opportunities the airport will provide. May be one day, I will be able to do the
same for Uyo and Gombe Airports. These are “gold mines” waiting to be mined.

In part two of this series, two text messages received concerning Asaba Airport were published. The first claimed that N40 billion had been spent on the project; the second asked me to go and find out things for myself. That challenge by the second reader was accepted on this page and I went out in search of evidence.

First , I virtually “gate-crashed” into a retreat organized by the Delta State Government, in Warri, for its Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Special Advisers. I requested for and got and appointment to discuss with anybody and everybody who could provide information about the airport. The Governor granted the request on a Saturday and I was scheduled to arrive Asaba the following Thursday for the official appointment.

Unknown to the Governor, I dashed to Lagos Sunday and returned to Asaba on Monday with a retired Airforce pilot friend in tow; he knows a lot about airports having flown into over 300 worldwide. We wanted to conduct our owninvestigation before the officials took over.

We returned to Lagos on Wednesday with independent information; most of which will be shared with our readers. The only parts left out will be those pertaining to security – for obvious reasons. There is probably no media practitioner in Nigeria today who knows more about the airport than me.

I even now know a few things the Governor does not know; because the establishment of an international airport induces
more economic, social, cultural, environmental and political changes than a feasibility study can capture.

At this point let me provide the answer to the questions asked about feasibility study and increased cost. Yes there was a feasibility study when the airport was first conceived as a purely a domestic airport. It was amended when it was decided to scale it up to an international airport.

Surely, everybody can understand that when you alter an airport designed to accommodate small aircraft to one which can service the biggest in the world, 747s and Airbuses, the cost of construction must go up. So there was no “economic terrorism” involved –only understandable economics of scale and scope.

However, before going into the “heart of the matter”, let me make a few necessary observations which will assist non-Deltans, as well as Deltans themselves, to understand the state a little bit better. In summary, ethnicity and politics are combining to make cooperation for overall development of the state virtually impossible.

The “Pull-Him-Down, PHD” syndrome is probably highest in Delta State than in most states of Nigeria. Thus, assessment of every project, or initiative of government, is filtered through those prisms first making objective appraisals almost impossible.Garibaldi, 1807-1882, the Father of modern Italy was once quoted saying that, “we have created

Italy, now we must create Italians”. President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, when creating Delta state should also have announced that “we have created Delta State, now we have to create Deltans”.

Few states in Nigeria emulate the Tower of Babel more than those ethnic groups, mainly, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko, Igbo and Ika, in Delta State. Each of them holds primary allegiance to theirethnic group first and to Delta State next. Thus when Babangida’s governm ent selected Asaba as the state capital, a choice allegedly influenced by his wife Maryam, the couple incurred the everlasting enmity of the “real Deltans” – defined as Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw and Isoko. Making matters worse was the fact that oil production in the state takes place mainly in the “real Delta”.