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The Senate has described the proposed N64b budget for the second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as “bogus and too high’.
In a motion sponsored by Senator Dino Melaye APC, Kogi West, Senate acknowledged the fact that a second runway was necessary for the Airport taking cognizance of its location at the nations capital but concluded that the proposed amount was ‘ too exorbitant’, urging the federal government to take a second look at the contract process to ensure due diligence was followed so that the project cost could be pruned down.
Senator Melaye explained that the terminal 5 in Heathrow Airport, with four lanes of 4km runway, cost less than N25 billion, while the entire Gombe Airport, with 3.66km runways, cost N8.2 billion.
He equally revealed that the Jigawa Airport was constructed at N11 billion, while Bauchi Airport was N12 billion, Enugu Airport, N13 billion, and the Akwa Ibom Airport was constructed at about N18 billion.
He said: ” “The Federal Government should reduce this unrealistic cost and duly monitor the award process”, pointing out that the proposed cost of the runway far exceeded the cost of constructing some airports around the country and even abroad.
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