FG takes over Kebbi International Airport, not sold to private individual – Kebbi Govt.
FG takes over Kebbi International Airport, not sold to private individual – Kebbi Govt.
The Kebbi Government says the Federal Government has taken over Sir Ahmadu Ballo International Airport, refuting rumour that it has been sold to private individual in the state.
The state Commissioner of Works and Transport, Alhaji Abubakar Ladan, made this known while briefing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.
He said,” There is no iota of truth in a rumour going round the state that the state government is planning to sell the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, to private individual.
“All the airports in the country in Aviation sector, are in the exclusive list of the Federal Government, and there is no way any state government can convert them to their own or sell them to private individuals.”
Ladan explained that the federal government had taken over 10 of such airports in the country after the completion of the airports by the state governments.
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“These airports include that of Ekiti, Gombe, Anambra,Nassarawa, Kebbi, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Benue states, among others,
” I don’t know how the story came about that the airport had been sold; to whom? I want to use this occasion to tell you the true story of the airport.
“The aviation sector is in the exclusive list of the federal government,;and any state that must construct an airport, must get a cleared approval of the federal government to construct the airport.
“So, once you construct the airport, you only have the manager, but the technical crew handling the airport, are federal government staff and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“these are all posted to the airport because you don’t have the right to appoint or regulate the airport, but the federal government.
“Since they are there, from time to time, federal government decided to take over these airports from the states. We only agreed to allow federal government to take over the airport because of management issue and other things.
“So, our own airport fall in that group.
“Federal government took over our airport. It is not the issue of sales; federal government took over the airport of Kebbi State. And we demanded that the amount we used in the construction of the airport be refunded to the state.
“And that was approved by the Mr President, Muhammadu Buhari, sometimes in March, 2020.
“The letter sent to us stated that the President had approved the refund of N16. 025 billion to the state government being the amount expended on the Sir Ahmadu Bello international Airport. So this was the issue.
“The process of the refunding is still on and as soon as the 2021 budget is implemented, then, the state government would be refunded,” he said.
Ladan also added that the federal government had agreed the refunding of over N7 billion to state government for the 2015 rehabilitation work of Koko-Dabai-Mahuta road and Malando-Ngaski-Warrah road in the state.
“We have been at the advanced stage of being refunded. It is being processed at the Federal Ministry of Works, and it would be presented to the Mr president again for the approval.
“The amount we are expecting is amounting to N7 billion,” the commissioner said.
FG takes over Kebbi International Airport, not sold to private individual – Kebbi Govt.
