“It is my most audacious project”. That is how Governor Willie Obiano described Anambra International and Cargo Airport, the newest airport in Nigeria located at Umueri, Anambra East Local Government Area.

True, it is the most ambitious project ever executed by the government of Anambra State since it was created in 1991, nay, since the old Anambra State was created in 1976. And Governor Obiano has good reason to congratulate himself and his government for this rare feat.

And it is not because of the fact that it is the first time a state government is building an airport in Nigeria. Two of Anambra’s neighbours, Imo and Delta had long ago built and put to use their own airports; and a huge chunk of their passengers come from Anambra State.

This Anambra airport was, however, started and completed in less than two years after construction started. Other airports took more than ten years. Since 1980, shortly after Jim Nwobodo became the first elected governor of the old Anambra State, the plan and aspiration to build an airport for Anambra State had been on the drawing board. A site was even acquired for it at Oba in Idemili South LGA.

The idea of an airport was dusted up again in 2006 when Peter Obi became governor. However, he was not ready to put a dime of Anambra money into it. When Governor Willie Obiano came on board, the airport project fell comfortably into this programme of action. After several years of planning and execution, the project gathered momentum in 2018 and to the surprise of even government supporters, the first commercial plane landed at Umueri a few days ago. No matter what might still be needed to be put in place for the airport to fully take off, what has been achieved so far calls for celebration.

The benefits of an international cargo airport to a state like Anambra have already been well listed but can never be overemphasized. Apart from the centrality of Onitsha in the commercial circles of Nigeria and international trade, Ndi Anambra are major players in global business and having an airport at home is just natural.

Needless to say that most of the cargo and passengers that use neighbouring airports are Anambra-bound. So the airport at Umueri would not only reduce cost and time spent commuting to airports in neighbouring states but would also facilitate easy passage for young entrepreneurs to travel and process their merchandise.

Again, oil has been discovered in the upper fringes of Anambra River. The anchorage of Anambra River could be developed to handle lighter vessels and complement the river port at Onitsha. We also expect boat clubs to emerge around in the area.

Otuocha will open a new corridor of trade and diplomacy between the East and northern Nigeria, given its proximity to Kogi and Benue States as well as Abuja. Who knows? The airport may facilitate the completion of the Otuocha – Idah federal road, which runs through a rich agricultural belt.

Needless to say that the airport would benefit people from the Ankpa, Idah, Dekina and even Ajaokuta catchment areas because it is the nearest airport to all those vital industrial areas and populations. The same story applies to the university town of Nsukka, which is just a few tens of kilometres to the new airport. Ditto for the nearby state-owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam. This will draw attention to the Onitsha-Otuocha-Nsukka road, which has been neglected for a long time.

Being a cargo airport, it means traders in Onitsha would short-circuit the time and money they spend in clearing and transporting their imports from Lagos to Onitsha. This will also abridge shipping time. A new class of professionals in the air freighting sector like lawyers, tax specialists, travels agents, car charter operators and allied professionals will emerge. In terms of infrastructure, Anambra East and their neighbours will be transformed.

There is no doubt that, if well utilized, the new airport at Umueri will transform Anambra to its rightful classification among Nigerian states – a Grade A state and make the state rank among global economies like Lagos, California, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Dubai.

WRITTEN BY EMMANUEL OBE

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