The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo has been urged to raise the status of the Chinua Achebe International Airport as a cargo airport by constructing warehouses in the facility.
The traditional ruler of Umueri Kingdom in Anambra East Local Government Area, Igwe Ben Emeka who made the call during a pre-event press briefing to mark this year’s new yam festival of his community also charged the governor to construct a road leading into the airport from the community.
The monarch during the briefing said for the airport to attain the status of an international airport, or a cargo airport, there must be regular flights, and warehouses must be built for the storage of wares upon arrival.
“Soludo is doing well and very well too. Our people say if one does well, he should be rewarded by another term in office. He has done several works in our community, but a lot more needs to be done.
“He has also employed our people and given appointments to people from our place here. But we want to say that the Umueri airport, which is now Chinua Achebe International Cargo and Passenger Airport, which is in our community, is currently not doing so well.
“We want the governor to pay attention to it and make flights regular in the airport. He should build ware houses, or concession it to individuals to build because it is a cargo airport. We need warehouses in the airport so that when goods come in, it can be housed there. That is how it is in Lagos and other places with functional cargo airports, and we will want it to be so here.”
Speaking about access road into the airport, the monarch who is also an entrepreneur thanked Soludo for constructing the major road into the airport, but lamented that indigenes of his community where the airport is sited have no access to it, except they go through other local governments.
“We gave out 1,010 hectares of our community land to Obiano for the airport. You can hardly see any community that has such land in Anambra, but what is not good is that when we want to go to the airport, we go through some other local government.
“There is an access road that is just four kilometers to the airport from here, it was started by the administration of Governor Obiano. So we are calling on him (Soludo) to help us complete the road. It has now become a bush and criminals now use it.
“So we are calling on him to come to the aid of our people, so that we can always access the airport through our community. We have missed flights severally because we have to go turn around to enter the airport, where as it is just close to us here,” the monarch lamented.
He announced that this year’s New Yam festival would be held on Saturday, September 6, saying that the festival is a culture and identity of the people of Umueri.
