Still On The Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, By Bolanle BOLAWOLE
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Last week’s “Oyebanji’s magic wand in Ekiti” is what we are re-visiting here today, allowing some of my esteemed readers the opportunity to advise the Ekiti State Government and Ekiti people generally on how to make a success of their brand new airport.
Remember that I saluted the completion and commissioning of the Ekiti airport because I have seen state governors who, out of sheer pettiness and political vindictiveness, have abandoned projects started by their predecessors, not minding the attendant colossal waste of public funds involved. That has not been the case with the Ekiti airport project.
Should the airport have been a priority project or was this a classical case of putting the cart before the horse? Some say, yes; but, again, once the project has taken off the ground, should it have been abandoned or scrapped by the incumbent administration of Gov. Biodun Oyebanji? I say, no!
That, however, is not to shut off suggestions on how best to proceed with the airport, so as to recoup the staggering investment on it as well as achieve the purpose for its establishment. What you are about to read are two opinions from my esteemed readers pointing the way forward for the Ekiti State Government.
“A rejoinder by Dr. Joel Ademisoye, United States of America: Hello, Bolanle Bolawole, a seasoned, experienced and renowned Nigerian journalist. I found your piece titled “Oyebanji’s magic wand in Ekiti,” interesting, informative and revealing about the fundamental problems facing Nigerian agriculture, once the country’s pride and mainstay, before the arrival of oil wealth and boom.
“With Nigeria becoming a member of the oil cartel, OPEC, the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy was put under the bus and crushed! You may recall that in the First Republic, Nigeria was heavily dependent on its agriculture/cash crops of cocoa, groundnuts, rubber, kolanuts, etc as the major contributing crops to the country’s GDP and national revenue.
“Over time, with the discovery of crude oil, Nigeria shifted its development goals, priority and focus from agriculture to the oil sector. Bluntly put, Nigerian governments neglected the agricultural sector because it has found a new suitor in the oil sector. Today, the oil sector’s supremacy over the agricultural sector is obvious, is undeniable and reflects in government priorities, policies and programs.
“It is worthy of note that the Federal Government initiated and implemented many laudable agricultural programs to achieve food security and the diversification of the Nigerian economy, such as President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Root and Tuber Expansion Program, the National Special Programs on Food Security and the National Fadama Development Projects.
“Many of these programs failed to achieve their stated goals because there were many intervening factors, such as misconception of the agricultural initiatives, inappropriate agricultural policies, poor planning and implementation, corruption and outright fraudulent practices and embezzlement of funds.
“Your article revealed a waste of vegetables, maize and fruits on the farms because farmers have no access to storage facilities like silos for storing grains like corn and millet. I remember the building of silos as part of the agricultural development and rural settlement program of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo government in the Western Region of Nigeria. Why are the state governments not interested in building silos for storing excess yields or farm crops and grains for future use in off-season periods?
“As an urbanist, I observed that your article was silent on, and ignored the key factors of urbanism and urbanization and its implications for the decline of the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy. Without mincing words, rapid urbanization process gave rise to the migration of residents of the rural areas and villages to towns and cities across Nigeria in order to be part of, and to enjoy the benefits of Nigeria’s oil wealth.
“Hence, it fostered a rural-urban migration pattern which resulted in many farmers leaving the rural areas and resettling in urban centres where they found social amenities, employment and business opportunities as incentives and attractions for their migration. Consequently, the migration of farmers to take advantage of the new oil wealth in the towns and cities created a vacuum in the rural labor force.
“Nigerian farmers who migrated to the urban centres formed a new structure and stratum of daily wage labor workers and business sectors like roadside traders, mechanics and vulganizers. In essence, the rapid urbanization process in Nigeria inflicted dislocational effects on Nigerian farmers and reduced their participation in the production and supply of food crops to markets in the towns and cities in Nigeria.
“You excessively employed “Oyebanji’s magic wand in Ekiti,” to sing the praise of the three or four governors of Ekiti State – Segun Oni, Ayodele Fayose, Kayode Fayemi and Biodun Oyebanji – to high heavens for their roles in conceptualizing, initiating, formulating and implementing the Ekiti State Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport. Moreover, your article portrayed a mission accomplished; thus, celebrating the government of continuity and collaboration amongst the former state governors and the incumbent Gov. Oyebanji.
“Against this backdrop, you conspicuously failed to adequately address the critical question of the economic viability of the agro-allied cargo international airport built at a whopping cost of N49 billion!“Going down memory lane, I recall that the Federal Government, through Stella Oduah, its Minister of Aviation in the Jonathan administration, designated seven (7) agro-cargo airports in the country, out of which one was located in the Akure airport in 2012. What is the status of the FGN’s international cargo terminal in Akure? The federal government’s international agro-cargo airport project was a colossal failure!
“Why is an international cargo airport located in Ado-Ekiti, which is less than 40 minutes flight from Akure, the state capital of Ondo State? I do not understand the logic, rationale and economic reasoning for this! I seriously question the feasibility study of the Ado-Ekiti airport. You might recall that the airport project was originally conceived as an “airstrip” during Gov. Fayose’s tenure. But, today, it has transformed into an international cargo airport. I can see that Gov. Oyebanji has really worked magic in the successful story of the metamorphosis of an airstrip into an international cargo airport in Ado-Ekiti!
“I consider the Ekiti international cargo airport as one of Nigeria’s many airports built by state governors for political reasons, expediency and convenience without proper conceptualization, feasibility study, economic viability and thorough planning in relation to the neighboring Akure airport.
“In addition, the Ado-Ekiti cargo airport is less than 45 minutes flight from the Benin airport. Why not employ a regional approach to the planning and building of cargo airports to serve the three states of Edo, Ekiti and Ondo? Such a regional approach has numerous advantages and benefits, such as the reduction of the needed investment, maintenance and operational costs, among others.
“The bitter truth is, this writer harbours serious concern about the proliferation of airports across Nigeria by state governors. Where are the agricultural crops or produce for the international market to support the building of a N49 billion international cargo airport in Ado-Ekiti? Honestly speaking, state governors in Nigeria appear to be treating the building of airports as political, constituency and legacy projects!
“Imagine that Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has also built the Gateway international agro-cargo airport in Iperu-Ilisan, which is less than 30 minutes flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos! I think the Federal Government is playing the politics of airport approval and establishment in the country, which has given rise to the proliferation of state-owned airports in the country.”
Another opinion, by a writer who pleaded anonymity, runs thus:
“The Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport is an untimely venture. While airport projects could be described as catalysts for development, such projects should be executed based on genuine need, except they are to serve self-glorification or ulterior motives.
“When this project was conceived years back, many had thought it would, on commissioning, assist in lifting agricultural produce from the state to the global market. But with over 20 landings and take-offs recorded since its commissioning, we are yet to be informed of the agricultural produce ferried from the state to any part of Nigeria, not to talk of offshore markets!
“Besides cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and timber, there is no agricultural produce that Ekiti State can boast of, which is available in commercial quantities for export to warrant the construction of a capital-intensive project like an airport.
“I have visited the airport twice since its commissioning and have not seen anything that qualifies the airport as an agro-allied entity. No warehouse, no cargo screening facility to store perishable cargoes. For an airport to be regarded as an agro-allied international airport, facilities such as cargo shed, cooling system quarantine facilities, etc. must be available but as at the last time that I visited the airport, none of these infrastructure – except the terminal building – was on ground.
“An international airport with a border control agency is nothing but a domestic airport. Looking at the domestic categorisation, should the Ekiti Agro-Allied Airport be categorised as a domestic agro-cargo airport? No! Because none of the requirements for Agro-Allied operations is on ground at the airport.
“What I believe Ekiti state should have done was to first grow and develop her agricultural potential to meet international market standard before conceiving the idea of establishing a capital-intensive project like an airport, which has to be serviced 24/7.
” If the funds expended on the airport project had been directed at resuscitating the abandoned Orin agricultural project started by the government of the defunct Western Region in the 1960s; the Ekiti-Akoko Agricultural Development Project in Ikole, and the Opticum Agricultural Project at Ikere-Ekiti started by the administration of Gov. Michael Adekunle Ajasin in the 1980s or the abandoned poultry project started by former Gov. Ayodele Fayose, with a facility in each of the 16 local government areas of the state, there will be no reason to depend on Abuja for monthly stipends.
“If the above-named agro-allied projects are resuscitated, by the time the results are out, the state could then begin to talk of establishing an agro-allied international cargo airport. For now, the Ekiti airport can only serve the interests of the few super rich and those on government payroll. While one appreciates the coming of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) to service the airport, the question one needs to ask is, can the airline sustain its services to and from the airport at its present fares?
“Past records have shown that airlines usually enter into partnership with state governments to operate to their airports. But such partnerships are hardly sustainable because of the paucity of funds. Considering the economic status of Ekiti state and the per capita income of its residents, it may be difficult for the airline to sustain its operations for a long time, especially when Akure Airport which, though not commercially viable, is gradually coming alive.
“Now that a sector of the dualization of the Akure – Ado-Ekiti road has been completed, allowing for just a 45-minute drive from Ado to Akure, sustaining the airport may become an uphill task for successive governments in Ekiti state.”
Above are suggestions for the Ekiti State Government to ponder and work upon. Let me add that all roads leading in and out of the airport should be tarred by the state government. The Ekiti agro-allied international cargo airport is here to stay, and no one aborts a baby already given birth to by its mother!
Besides, apart from agro-allied businesses, there are institutions such as the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti; the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti; the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; the University of Education, Ikere-Ekiti and networth Ekiti sons and daughters who, imitating Chief Afe Babalola, can attract much-needed investments to Ekiti. The airport provides an opportunity in this respect, especially with the spate of insecurity that has made travelling by road unattractive to those who can afford air travel.
Former editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/Editor-in-chief of The Westerner news magazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday Tribune and TREASURES column in New Telegraph newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.
