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Transport ministry certifies Makurdi cargo airport

By Joseph Wantu, Makurdi
20 February 2017   |   4:07 am
The ministry’s certification is contrary to speculations from some quarters that the airport, as conceived by the Governor Samuel Ortom administration, would be a white elephant project.

The ministry’s certification is contrary to speculations from some quarters that the airport, as conceived by the Governor Samuel Ortom administration, would be a white elephant project.

The Federal Ministry of Transportation has certified the Cargopolis Makurdi Airport Project in Benue State as authentic and in compliance with the Civil Aviation Act 2006 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The ministry’s certification is contrary to speculations from some quarters that the airport, as conceived by the Governor Samuel Ortom administration, would be a white elephant project.

Director of Safety and Technical Policy of the Ministry, Captain Talba Alkali, made this known yesterday while answering questions from journalists in Makurdi at an interactive session with investors, officials of the Benue State Government and the Ministry of Transportation on the authenticity of the cargo airport.

Alkali said the state government had involved the Ministry of Transportation in all activities relating to the airport, which he said, was the best way to go about such a project, unlike some states that involved the ministry in such projects and thereafter abandoned them.

He added that they were in Benue to inspect the project site for Joint Regulatory Permit and Approvals and gave assurances on the authenticity of the project

Speaking on the financial involvement of the state government in the project and antecedents of the partners, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Cargopolis Development Consortium (CDC), Dr. Daniel Tarka, told journalists that the state government, based on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement would bear 15 per cent of the construction cost payable on completion of the project.

He stressed however, that presently, the state government has only provided land. Tarka explained that as a Consortium, CDC has viable partners such as Sinohydro Engineering Company reputed to be the largest hydropower company with a 50 per cent stake of global hydropower market, as well as China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group (CR3) and JDZ Nigeria Limited with world class construction pedigree.

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