Zamfara cargo airport project: The bigger picture
It is interesting to observe that certain contents of the report actually debunk the notion that the cargo airport is a failed or unviable project and may have led to financial losses. Also, after quoting the Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi and other people directly involved in initiating and setting the stage for […]
It is interesting to observe that certain contents of the report actually debunk the notion that the cargo airport is a failed or unviable project and may have led to financial losses. Also, after quoting the Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi and other people directly involved in initiating and setting the stage for the project extensively in the report, the reporter did not go back to these same people for an update.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Zamfara cargo airport project is a feasible, progressive and praiseworthy innovative initiative of Governor Mahmud Shinkafi to create an economic venture that will serve as a catalyst for the much-needed promotion and development of the state’s vast resources in agriculture and solid minerals into a huge foreign exchange base for accelerated development of other promising potentials. With the cargo airport in place, the various high yields of agricultural products, including perishable varieties that now waste away, will find a nearby gateway to international markets within a few hours of harvesting. As Governor Shinkafi explained in the article, the idea was inspired by a similar airport in Dubai which he observed to be highly profitable, especially to the poor peasant farmers in the hinterland who would otherwise be labouring in vain as most of the harvest rot away even before they get to local markets. There will be modern high capacity facilities for cold and dry storage at the airport in addition to other plant and equipment designed to meet the international standards for export.
One would have expected a well-meaning correspondent to dwell on the genuine and abiding concern of the governor for the liberation of his state and people from the clutches of avoidable poverty and underdevelopment even in faraway Dubai, as well as a positively motivated advocacy to highlight the undisputable economic benefits of the project and constructive contributions towards overcoming the inevitable hurdles such a project is bound to face in the process of execution. Criticism should be objectively conceived because there is no gain for the writer if as an outsider his only interest is to amplify the envious blackmail of political opponents in Zamfara State and return to his base, while the people in Zamfara State who will benefit ultimately are rendered disillusioned and hopeless of a brighter future.
In actual fact, not even up to N200 million has yet been expended on the cargo airport project as of today because Governor Shinkafi has insisted that the complex process of land acquisition and payment of compensation for farmlands and economic trees in addition to possible need for resettlement has to be adequately accomplished before execution of the projects. These processes are highly capital intensive, especially in a cash-strapped state, but they are necessary best foundations for a smooth and timely execution of the cargo airport project. This is not just another white elephant project that is hurriedly pursued only to be abandoned due to lack of foresight in the planning stage, so you cannot go and start felling trees as your reporter wishes without adequate financial provisions for compensation. Governor Shinkafi is constantly reviewing his strategies for this all-important project bearing in mind the current realities of revenue shortfalls and competing interests of the state that cannot be neglected because of any single project. Suffice it to say that the report under reference confirms that the state government approached the federal ministry of aviation which conducted feasibility and other relevant studies before approving a site for the project on Kaura Namoda road, so it is not only the Shinkafi Administration that appreciates the relevance and viability of the project.
All the insinuations about bank loans and fictitious payments are the products of opposition rumour mills which have no bearing whatsoever on the project as can be deduced from the clarifications herein. The cargo airport project is an on-going project that is being pursued with prudent financial considerations and in accordance with international best practices under which speed of execution is of less significance than careful planning, comprehensive preliminary contingencies and adequate financial outlay for uninterrupted execution. Other projects receiving constant review include the Investment House complex in Gusau which is currently the subject of consultations with an international financing group–LOTUS-that has declared interest in upgrading it into an international 5 star hotel and the 100 mega-watt independent power project which recently received the endorsement of the Acting President Goodluck Jonathan and the relevant federal agencies.
It is also worth pointing out that in his usually quiet approach to resolving major challenges of the government and people of Zamfara State, Governor Shinkafi has successfully ended the seemingly intractable water scarcity in Gusau and environs in addition to several road projects such as the 30KM Dandabi-Katuru, 18km Kotorkoshi-Mada, the 8km Gusau-Abarma while the 46km Kaura Namoda-Birnin Magaji road is nearing completion. These projects are aimed at opening up the agricultural and solid mineral producing areas of the state so that the Cargo Airport will have a constant inflow of export commodities as envisaged.
Hon. Sani Anka is Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi of Zamfara State