The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed how Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, convinced President Bola Tinubu to upgrade the planned Abia aviation project from an airstrip to a full international airport.
Speaking at an aviation event in Lagos, Keyamo explained that the Federal Government had initially proposed building a basic airstrip for Abia State and included it in the 2024 budget as part of efforts to expand aviation infrastructure nationwide.
However, according to him, Governor Otti later approached President Tinubu directly and proposed that the project should be expanded into a full-fledged international airport, offering to provide counterpart funding from the state government to support the upgrade.
Keyamo said Otti told the President that instead of an airstrip, the state was ready to co-fund a larger airport project that would better serve Abia’s economic and industrial potential, especially its role in manufacturing and trade in the South-East.
He added that President Tinubu supported the idea, approving the upgrade, which eventually led to the ongoing development of the Abia International Airport project in Umuahia/Isiala Ngwa area.
Keyamo also noted that Abia State has contributed significant funding to the project, describing it as a strong example of federal–state collaboration in infrastructure development.
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