ABUJA, JULY 13, 2016 – The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, new terminal building will be ready in December and will attract more investors, says Mr Ayo Ojebola, the resident Architect for Globarch Associates.Ojebola said this in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja.
Globarch Associates is the firm engaged by the Federal Government to provide post-contract consultancy services for the airport terminal project.
He said that the completion of the project would impact positively on aviation business in Nigeria as the airport would become a hub, because many airlines not yet landing there, would be empowered to do so.
According to him, having completed the block works, the project has attained 67 per cent completion and is now in the finishing stage.
The consultant explained that the project which started in March 2014, ought to have been completed in two years but was delayed due to some unforeseen circumstances.
“We have finished all the block works and what is left is just the finishing; and right now, the terminal building construction is like at 67 per cent completed.
“The project was supposed to have been completed since March because the project was for two years and we started it in March 2014.
“Because of some delays we had experienced, we discovered that there was the need for an extension to like December or January.
“To be precise, the December timeline is realistic and the project will be completed,’’ Ojebola said.
He said that the Ebola Disease outbreak in 2014 and weather issues were part of the challenges that delayed the project.
On the non-payment of fees to the consultants, he said that the Federal Government was currently addressing the issue.
Recalls that the government had in 2014 awarded contracts for the construction of five new terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, to ease congestion.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, had in December 2015 announced that the new terminals would be ready by December 2016.
