By Kenneth Ehigiator
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, has said the decision to level the hills and sandfill valleys at Asaba International Airport, to make way for extension of the runway was based on the requirement of the regulatory agency, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, for the airport to accommodate bigger aircraft.

The governor urged critics of the runway extension, valued at over N7.4 billion, to seek clarification on the project as the  topography in the area allocated for the airport required intense leveling of  a hill as well as filling up of a river valley close to the airport.

Uduaghan, who spoke in an interview with reporters after assessment of work at the runway extension site, said contract for the leveling of the hilly part of the airport runway was awarded in 2011, not necessarily for the purpose of the recently concluded South-South Summit hosted in the state.

He explained that rather than tear the project apart through uninformed criticism, critics should see the airport as an infrastructure that could accelerate the development of the state, especially with state’s quest to diversify its economy from oil revenue.