Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, on Monday laid the foundation for the Aviation Village, a residential quarters for airport workers in the state, The Courage.
Speaking during the groundbreaking of the project located within the Victor Attah International Airport, the governor said that the Aviation Village is aimed at driving home his passion towards expanding the aviation ecosystem and making Akwa Ibom stand out as the aviation hub in the Gulf of Guinea.
He said, “The Aviation Village, which is the groundbreaking ceremony we have gathered here to perform, is a project that speaks to our passionate dedication to the expansion of the aviation ecosystem.
“It is going to provide residential quarters for workers in the first phase, which will further drive our vision of becoming the nation’s major aviation hub.
“The second phase will have the aviation school and other facilities, but let’s provide these accommodations for the workers close to their offices. From our findings, twelve parastatals would benefit, and this will have a direct impact on the operations of the airport.”
Eno added that the project, which will be completed in twelve months, will be given to different contractors to speed up the construction, beginning with the perimeter fence and gatehouse.
He also announced plans to lay the foundation for an Elderly People’s Home and a new Medical Village for Doctors serving at the Ibom Specialist Hospital, adding that the aim is to prepare for the running of the Ibom Specialist Hospital with foreign technical partners as originally conceptualised.
He added, “There are some more flag-offs that we will do. I am looking forward to flagging off the elderly people’s homes. I am looking forward to flagging off the new medical village, and we will build the Doctors’ quarters there, too. What we are trying to do is to upgrade the Ibom Specialist Hospital and make it what it was conceived to be: a proper first-rate hospital.
“We are partnering with international organisations, employing the doctors who will run the facility, and providing accommodations for those doctors. We will run that facility in the model of Ibom Air, a government facility that is managed as a private concern.”
On the recent change of the leadership in Ibom Power Company, he explained that the move is intended to put the company on sound footing and used the occasion to urge other heads of government departments and parastatals to embrace probity and be profit- mimded.
He appreciated the airport staff for their support and dedication to duty, assuring that contrary to agitations, his government would pay all their emoluments to underscore his worker-friendly disposition.
The state Commissioner for Housing, Otuekong Bassey, in his review of the project, indicated that the Aviation Village project sits on 15.072 hectares of land and would have a total of 62 number of two bedroom flats, 55 number of three bedroom flats, a primary school and other facilities.
Chairman, Ibom Airport Development Company Limited, Iniobong Essien, while analysing the importance of the project, noted that the Aviation Village would not only upgrade the standard of the airport in the aviation industry but would better position the Victor Attah International Airport for the anticipated international operations. The Chief Executive Officer of Ibom Air, Captain Mfon Udom, representative of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Comrade Ukeme Utuk and other stakeholders in their goodwill messages, acknowledged that the project will solve the accommodation challenge of the airport staff, ensure closer proximity of staff to the airport and enhance a more efficient service delivery.
