The Technical Adviser to the Ekiti State Governor on the State Airport Project, AVM Sunday Makinde (Rtd) has described the Ekiti Agro Allied International Cargo Airport as a game changer that is capable of unlocking the prosperity and vast economic potentials of the state.

AVM Makinde who made the assertion in Ado-Ekiti while featuring on Ekiti Loni/ Ekiti Today, a live audience participation programme on radio said the State Agro cargo Airport would not only stimulate the local economy but also attract direct investment to the State when it becomes fully operational.

Speaking on the viability of the airport, the Technical Adviser disclosed that a study conducted over a three-month period on the passenger inflow to the Akure Airport indicated that about 65 percent of passengers travelling via the Akure Airport have Ekiti as their final destination

“Just recently, the Afe Babalola University tried to organize some flights via the Ekiti State Agro Cargo Airport to coincide with the resumption period of their students. The result was overwhelming. Over 1,000 students of the university indicated interest. That would have meant about 10 missions for 109 – passenger-capacity aircrafts in just one week. That on its own shows the route would be lucrative”, he stated

He said in line with the directive of Governor Oyebanji, a development master plan containing the short, medium and long term vision and goals of the Airport Project had been developed.

“The Ekiti State International Agro Cargo airport has the fourth longest runway in Nigeria, it has a 3.2 km runway which is long enough to take the big ,wide bodied planes which need a lot of run-off space to take off. This is a 21st century airport with an apron that can take wide bodied aircrafts in the class of Boeing 737-400 and the Airbus A 310-800 “, he explained.

Speaking on insinuations in some quarters that the Airport project was not necessary as airports are for the rich and the upwardly mobile, Makinde explained that the line of argument only goes to show that some people don’t understand the great potentials of air travel to the economy.

According to him, as a landlocked State, one of the best ways to unlock the prosperity and potentials or the state is through aviation.

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The Technical Adviser however stressed that it is the duty of every stakeholder in the State to support Government’s efforts to develop the economy of the State

“It is the responsibility of government to provide infrastructure. It is the responsibility of the citizenry, the entrepreneurs, the farmers, the Industrialists and the business class to position themselves to effectively utilize this infrastructure. Farmers and other entrepreneurs need to ensure that their products are exportable. Everybody must up their game”, Makinde stated

Speaking on the recent approval granted by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for commencement of non-scheduled flight operation at Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport and the recent inspection tour of the Minister for Aviation, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN) to the airport, Makinde disclosed that efforts were in top gear to ensure that the airport commences full operation on or before the scheduled date as everything required for full operation has been put in place

“Having secured authorization for non scheduled flights . We are in a period of low air traffic and we are using this period to test our systems, test our safety procedures, test our working procedures as well as test our standard operating procedures and like the Minister himself said, Ekiti International Agro Cargo Airport is Ready for the World”,

In his contributions to the programme, the Commissioner for Information, Rt.Hon Taiwo Olatunbosun said the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport will bring direct and indirect benefit for the people and the economy of the State.

He said apart from creating direct employment for people of the State, it would boost tourism, commercial activities and aid ease-of-doing-business and also help put Ekiti on the global map.

He said apart from the people of the the State, the AfDB funded Ekiti State Knowledge Zone and Special Agro processing Zone both located in the State are among globally renowned organizations whose operations would benefit from the airport project