Chief Fani Kayode, former aviation minister says the Anambra International Cargo Airport under construction will be one of the biggest and best in the country when completed.
Kayode who spoke to newsmen in Onitsha Sunday, commended the quality and speed of work at the project which is located in Umueri, Anambra Council Area of Anambra.
He said he had undertaken a tour of the project and from his experience as an aviation expert, the airport was going to dwarf every other one in Southern Nigeria when it is delivered.
The People Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain who said he was on tour of Southern Nigeria after the lockdown to assess the development activities in the region and also visit his friends said he also wanted to have a feel of what was happening in Anambra.
“I came to interact with the governor and people of Anambra; I think I should show appreciation where it is necessary and it is not about party but building bridges across all lines be it religious or ethnicity.
“I am a solid member of PDP but I must say the governor of this state is absolutely remarkable, what he has been able to achieve here is extraordinary, truth is that the South East has some of the best governors but Anambra is high up on that list.
“The crime rate here has greatly reduced, I remember when Anambra was known for kidnapping and banditry all that have reduced and we commend him for that.
“For me, the most extraordinary thing is the development of the new international airport in this state by Gov. Willie Obiano which is mind blowing, this airport has the longest, thickest and widest run way in the entire country.
“The whole area where the airport is being built is bigger than any other airport in this country and by the time they finish whatever they are doing there, it will dwarf every other airport t in Southern Nigeria.
“It is being done on time, they are not owing anybody or contractor, no money was borrowed to build that massive structure and there is no federal or state government in our history that has built such massive airport.
“It has been kept as a secret but I must say it is an extraordinary achievement, it is a good thing for Anambra, it is a good thing for South East generally which, in my view, has been left behind in the development of the aviation sector over the years.
“How the governor manages to do that and pay salaries on time and keep the state going I really do not know.
I have seen them myself, they are moving so fast and I am sure that by the times he leaves office that airport will be functional,” he said.
He said what the governor should add to what he had done is the decision of who will succeed him.
According hat is also a decision for his party APGA, it is important that whoever will succeed him is someone that can build on these legacies, the state needs somebody who will sustain the project and make it a priority project.
Kayode decried the effect of insecurity on national development and called on all to join hands to curb the menace.
He said insecurity was a national malaise which cuts across all religious, regional or ethnic divide.
“The Security situation is frightening, they oil everybody and anybody, they don’t just kill Christians or Muslims, I want to call on the federal government to focus more on security,” he said.
He said a president of South East extraction was possible but called on the political leaders on the area to win the confidence and support of other parts of the country.
According to him, an Igbo president will go a long way to strengthening the unity of Nigeria
