Abuja Airport 40% Completed, Set To Meet TargetFAAN

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has said that the reconstruction of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja runway is 40 percent completed, and the work schedule is still on target.This was revealed by the resident engineer of FAAN, Yemi Aiyelesan, while explaining the level of work done to the House Committee on Aviation led by its chairperson, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.Maintaining thatthat the runway will be reopened on April 19, 2017 as scheduled,Engr. Aiyelesan said the runway was divided into three segments because the entire runway is 3.6kilometres and major work has been done on each of the segment.He also explained that the work done on the runway is total reconstruction adding that the contractors are following the programme of work."What we are doing is total reconstruction and we are following the bill. We however have isolated repairs because some areas are really bad and we need to go beyond the entire sufface in such cases but we have mailed the entire runway to a certain depth."Explaining further, the Project Manager of Julius Berger, Dr. Lai's Richter said "we have finished the first 1.2kilometres and on Wednesday, we will start with the new lighting system. "The cutting of cables and all will start and one week before the due date, we will be through with all the asphalt work and we will finish with the installation of the lighting.There is a lot of activity ongoing and they have been working 24 hours non stop."Meanwhile, the chairperson of the committee, raised concern on whether the runway will be reopened for operations by April 19th, saying that "I have my concerns from what I have seen because the work is divided into three phases and they are on the first phase which is 1.2kilometres and from a layman's angle which I am, I am saying that I have concerns that this work might not be completed but they keep assuring us that it will be done because what we have seen is the civil."We are concerned about the mechanical and the lighting. So, we are taking it up from there. So when we come to the board, they will have to explain to us the level of implementation to what they signed because we have the papers to what agreement they signed to do. "I said we have concerns because we don't know if it is total reconstruction or resurfacing but those things will be explained through the books and of couse, this is our first visit and we will come again."
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