President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, directed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, to look for special funding for the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed these in a twitter thread titled, ‘Aviation: President Buhari directs finance minister to look for special funding for Abuja airport second runway, inaugurates new terminal building at MMIA.’
Speaking at the inauguration of the new terminal building in Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the President also directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Musa Bello, to conclude the documentation of the approved 12,000 hectares of land to accommodate the runway.
The President’s request comes at a time when the country is hard-pressed with foreign debt to the tune of N39.56tn.
The President, who described the administration’s investments in inter-state rail connectivity, road networks, agriculture, power and telecommunications, despite limitations in resources, as unprecedented noted that robust initiatives have been complemented with specific fiscal policies to drive aviation infrastructure renaissance.
‘‘These include the designation of 4 airports, namely Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt as Free Trade Zones, in which customs duty is not applicable; removal of VAT on all forms of shared transportation, including air transportation; and exemption of commercial aircraft and spare parts from VAT payment.
‘‘Similar projects at both the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Port Harcourt International Airport were completed and commissioned by this administration and our people have since been benefiting from the positive economic impacts of those magnificent terminals.
‘‘The one in Kano has also been completed, and will be commissioned soon, while work continues apace to complete that of Enugu shortly,’’ he said.
The President expressed confidence that the new terminal in Lagos with sixty-six check-in-counters, sixteen Immigration desks at arrival, twenty-eight Immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others, would go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of the country.