The Cross River government has disclosed that the Obudu cargo airport, being constructed by the state, will be ready for operation by April 2024.

This was disclosed by the commissioner for aviation, Eno Inah, during the project inspection on Tuesday.

He said though the contractor had given 120 days for its completion, he would want to make it 180 days from today (Tuesday) for the completion.

Mr Inah said contrary to the claim that the current administration had abandoned the airport project, work was progressing well. He noted that the Governor Bassey Otu-led administration was desirous to see to the timely completion of the project.

“We are here to assure Cross River people that, like the governor has said in most of his statements, no project will be abandoned. In matching words with action, construction is ongoing at the cargo airport,” Mr Inah explained. “I am optimistic that, God on our side in 180 days, we should be talking of inauguration, going by what we have seen.”

The commissioner added, “You can see that the various structures at the airport are at various stages of completion. The contractor has given his word that the cargo airport project will be completed in the next 120 days. As a responsible government, I put it at 180 to ensure that everything is done before commissioning.”

Mr Inah also mentioned that the people and ultimately the state, would be the greatest beneficiaries of the project. He explained that not only would the airport improve the economic livelihood of the people around the project, but it would also boost the tourism potential of Cross River due to its proximity to the Obudu Ranch.

Meanwhile, the project manager, Shola Okeleye, said they were working to ensure that the project was delivered timely and according to standard.

Giving a breakdown of the completion stage of various project structures, Mr Okeleye said, “The tower is 85 per cent completed while the terminal building is about 75 per cent. The runway and taxiway are 85 and 80 per cent completed, respectively.

“From the level of work done so far, we are optimistic that the project will be delivered in 120 days.”

The immediate past administration of the state inaugurated the project’s construction in March 2021.

(NAN)