From Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State government has tackled the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for criticising the inauguration of Chuba Okadigbo Airport runway by the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, after its upgrade.
The PDP, had in a statement signed by Moses Idika, the head of media of the 2023 governorship candidate of the party, Chief Chukwuma Odii, accused the government of wasting Ebonyi resources on the airport by spending about N200 billion to rehabilitate its runway.
However, the state government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, said the opposition party wants the state government not to upgrade the airport runway when it cost the past administration multi-billion naira to construct the airport.
“The state government wishes to place on record once again that as a state that is blessed with enormous natural resources, the idea of beating whatever structural impediments that hindered the commencement of flight operations in the said airport prior to the inauguration of the present administration is a far better and progressive option than abandoning same.
“His Excellency had in several fora assured Ebonyi people that his administration would not only perfect the project from the stage he met it, but finally put it to use in order to open up the state to the outside/global community and welcome already waiting business opportunities and other numerous global investments.
“The commissioning of the runway by Her Excellency, the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, which was queried by the author is therefore not only befitting, but a right step in the right direction.
“We are aware that the writer is one of the enemies of the state who had expected the enormous investment on the airport to lay waste, but we will continue to disappoint them. In no distant time, when the state government unveils its plan in the aviation sector, their nightmare will surely nosedive,” Okpor said.
The commissioner described PDP’s data on the debt profile as unverifiable and urged the public to disregard it.
He argued that Governor Francis Nwifuru has refused to borrow since he came on board and has been criticised for refusing to bow to all forms of enticing loan offers.
