Kaduna Spends N2bn Over Flight Diversion, Says El-Rufai

By AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
Kaduna State Government on Wednesday said it was spending the sum of N2 billion ahead of the planned diversion of flights to Kaduna International Airport due to the proposed closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to pave way for the repair of the runway.
The amount, according to Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai was being spent on the building of the new road linking Kaduna Airport with the light rail train station in Rigasa, resurfacing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway and installing of solar powered streets lights, among others.
Disclosing this when he received the Corps Marshall of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, in his office, the governor said that the projects when completed would serve four states in the North-west geo-political zone.
“We have committed close to N2 billion of our resources to the new airport work. We are building a link road from the train station to the airport.
“We are financing police outpost and resurfacing western bypass with solar street lights, we are rehabilitating airport link road from Mando with street lights from our inadequate resources. If the experiment succeeds Kaduna stand to get some gains.
“We are confident that Kaduna would be ready very soon, we are working hard on security and infrastructure, 40 percent of passengers that fly out of Abuja airport are from Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi states,” said the governor.
Speaking on the state-owned Doka General Hospital, El-Rufai said the state government had awarded contracts for construction of emergency reception facility in the hospital.
“Kaduna State Government has awarded contract for the construction of emergency reception facility at Doka to be ready in months. World class trauma centre with helipad for emergency evacuation, MRI, RT scan facilities will be ready before the end of the year or early next year,” he disclosed.