By Julius Oweh

Asaba as a state capital is strategically located to serve the economic hub of South/South states and the South/East states. Perhaps based on this economic imperative, the former Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan in May 7, 2008 made a ground breaking ceremony of laying the foundation of the Asaba airport. It was a colourful ceremony that had the former national chairman of PDP, Chief Vincent Ogualafor at the helm of affairs.

•Asaba Airport (Inset) Uduaghan

It, however, has not come without controversy. Whether it is an international airport or a cargo airport appears subject to conjectures. And this matter is not helped by the recent down grading of the airport making it impossible for some categories of planes to land there.

Speaking last year on the downgrading of the airport by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa maintained that the downgrading of the airport in no way diminished the importance of the airport and the place of Uduaghan in the development of the airport in particular and the state in general. This is how Okowa reacted to the downgrading of the airport:

`Though there are issues with the airport, we have made progress and the contractor is already back to site. I believe in another six months, our airport will meet the required standard that all planes can land. We are planning to build the cargo airport terminal which will definitely be of much interest to the companies that are developing the Asaba City Mall. This is because they can bring their goods and services to Asaba from other parts of the world with greater speed and ease`.

The Asaba airport project was very dear to the heart of the former governor as he decided to give a befitting airport to the state capital. He did not bother about the Warri Airport that is situated in his senatorial district but as a statesman and man with the eyes in history and posterity, showcased unexampled commitment to the building and maintenance of the airport so as to attract investments and reap the economic windfall.

He spoke sometime ago about the propelling reasons for building the airports and that rumour mongers and propagandists would not stop him in bequeathing legacies to the state. Hear the former governor consuming passion about the airport: `People are using the airport now. Every day, flights are coming in. Flights are going out. They are seeing it. It is no longer `oh`, it is not airport or it is a small airport and all that.

There had been so much propaganda about the airport. The Minister of Aviation (Senator Stella Oduah) said the airport is a model and that she would recommend it to other states. Some people did not know what we conceptualized and what was put on ground in the Asaba airport. The truth about Delta State is that there is so much blackmail, so much misinformation, and so much mischief that anything can be used for mischief. Some of these people said all the things about the airport which they know is not true`,

Perhaps it is in this province the reaction of the state chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP; Mr Gabriel Mamuzo could be located. He called on the EFCC to probe the airport, alleging that the airport gulped over N50 billion.

Said Mamuzo: `We welcome the state government efforts in the upgrade of the Asaba airport and we equally call on the anti-graft agencies to probe the Asaba airport that has gulped over N50billion under the PDP administration. We recall that the PDP administration told us that Asaba is an international airport when it started in 2008, why then did it change and name something that is below domestic standard?`.

Despite the reservations of Mamuzo and those of similar frame of mind, the fact remains that Asaba has an airport, whether it is national or international. Today, many Deltans do not know the actual cost of airport project. The media aide to the commissioner who spoke to this reporter could not mention the exact cost of the airport, saying that the information was contained in a brochure shared in the recent economic summit organised by the government to mark twenty-five years of existence.

History and posterity shall be kinder to Uduaghan than the mischief makers. Whether the Asaba airport is an airstrip, a national airport or an international airport, it is a record most unassailable that Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan as the governor of the state for eight years dreamt about the airport and gave birth to it.

The airport is already in use and if some money were not well spent in the construction of the airport, it is left for the State Ministry of Finance to audit the expenditure. The economic benefits of the airport shall surely drown the views and sentiment of purely partisan people. History and posterity beckon on Uduaghan and the Asaba Airport