Anambra not considering building second airport – Commissioner

By Joy Mbachi

Anambra Government has described report that it is planning to construct a second airport as falsehood, speculative and “distractions from anti -government individuals.”

Some report had indicated that Governor Charles Soludo promised to construct another airport at Ndikelionwu, Orumba North Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The Anambra State Government, in a statement by Law Mefor, its Commissioner for Information however dismissed the report.

Mefor said that there was no plan whatsoever to construct another airport in the state, less than four years after the inauguration of the current Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport, Umeri in Anambra East council area.

Mefor in the press statement made available to journalists in Awka on Friday said attention of Anambra state government was drawn to a false report making rounds in the media about plans to build a second airport.

He urged the public to disregard the report as “distractions from anti -government individuals” and described the reports as “falsehood and speculative”.

According to him, the speculation may be following the recent visit to the Anambra Mixed-use Industrial City (AMIC), with some people possibly assuming that the industrial park would require its own airport.

The commissioner said that in alignment with the governor’s Urban Renewal Plan, multimodal transport systems, including railways and airports, were being studied as part of the AMIC master plan to ensure long-term economic and infrastructural sustainability.

He said that the recent site visit was specifically to commence technical investigations to determine the most suitable locations for these transport systems within the Industrial Park and the new city design, should the need arise in the future.

“The Final master plan also integrates the 4,000-hectare Anambra Mixed-Use Industrial City (AMIC), a Pharmaceutical Hub, and a new global-standard urban city with innovation centers, education and medical facilities, tourism, business districts, and housing clusters to drive industrialisation and sustainable growth.

“The Anambra State Government therefore clarifies that whether or not a railway and an airport should be built to service AMIC has not been decided, and any such decision will be communicated through official channels when taken.

“Members of the public are therefore advised to disregard this false report and continue to rely on official announcements on any significant projects or developments in the state,” he said.

(NAN)