Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has voiced his strong disapproval of the rehabilitation work carried out on the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, describing it as substandard and unsafe.

In a statement posted on his official X handle on Saturday, Keyamo announced that the federal government decided to shut down the airport’s runway for two weeks starting April 22, 2025, to address critical safety concerns.

“Dear compatriots, we have been compelled to take this decision to close the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for two weeks starting from April 22nd, 2025, in order to carry out major repair works on it, he stated.

The minister noted that although the airport underwent a significant year-long rehabilitation in 2019, the core issue of waterlogging was never effectively resolved. According to him, this oversight has led to persistent cracks and potholes on the runway, which now threaten the safety of passengers.

“Unfortunately, when we came to the office, we discovered that the waterlogged part of the runway was not properly constructed to take care of the problem, leading to constant cracks and potholes on the runway. These obviously put the lives of the travelling public at great risk,” he said.

Keyamo, who visited the site personally, said he was totally displeased with the contractor’s work.

“I personally visited the airport some months after assuming office and expressed my total displeasure with the work done by the contractor,” he revealed.

Keyamo said that despite ongoing palliative repairs, the condition of the runway has worsened to the point where the cracks have turned into “craters,” prompting the urgent closure.

“We have been carrying out constant palliative works on it, but the problem has not abated, and the cracks on the runway are becoming craters,” he added.

While apologising to the public for the inconvenience, Keyamo assured that flight operations would be rerouted to neighbouring airports during the repair period.

“We sincerely apologise to Nigerians over this development as the airport is our major international gateway in the Southeastern part of Nigeria.

“In the meantime, scheduled flight operations to Enugu will be diverted to other neighbouring airports. We are going to work tirelessly to meet the timeline in order to mitigate the inconvenience this closure will cause the travelling public,” he said.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) announced the temporary closure in a statement issued by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Obiageli Orah.

[Opinion nigeria]