WARRI-OSUBI AIRPORT NOT OWNED OR MANAGED BY DELTA STATE GOVT.... Okowa's EAC Clarifies

 

"Those Calling On Governor Okowa To Fund, Upgrade Osubi Airport Are Playing Caricature Politics".... Oghenesivbe.

"It is not within the purview of the state government to meddle into the operations of an establishment which is statutorily under the control of the federal government".

Warri Airport (IATA: QRW, ICAO: DNSU), also known as Osubi Airstrip, is an airport serving the city of Warri in Delta State, Nigeria. It is about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) Northeast of the city. It was built by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, and commissioned in April, 1999.

 In 2015, Osubi Airstrip was handed over to Shoreline Oil Services Ltd and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as new owners while Shoreline became the partner responsible for the day to day operations of the Airport and its facilities, including payments of charges to the federal government via authorised civil aviation agencies.

The clarification is contained in a statement by the Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Communications, Barrister Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe on Monday in Asaba, saying that due to the multifaced technicalities involved in the operation of airports, the state government can only be involved or interfere in the affairs of Osubi Airport as a stakeholder with equity shares or total ownership.

He further posited that in the month of February 2020, Osubi Airstrip was compulsorily taken over by the federal government through the nation's aviation regulatory agencies, over what the authorities termed "nonpayment of huge debts and gross incompetence exhibited by the operators."

Oghenesivbe said the clarification became necessary as a result of streams of accusations and counter accusations by some members of the opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, who took to Twitter handles and on Facebook alleging that the state government and the governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, had deliberately refused to pay attention to Osubi Airport; whereas Asaba international Airport has been transformed to a world class major hub in the nation's aviation industry.

The governor's EAC pointed out that it is not within the purview of the state government to meddle into the operations of an establishment which is statutorily under the control of the federal government in the face of alleged multifaceted operational incompetence and unsolved huge debt profile between the concerned stakeholders.

He further asserted that in as much as the governor would want the matter resolved amicably between the major actors to enable the travelling public and Deltans enjoy unhindered safe and pleasant flying experience via the Osubi Airport, his hands are tied because Delta State Government do not hold equity shares in the airstrip that would necessitate interference, action or inaction in the settlement of vexed issues.

"The operation of Osubi Airport is not  the responsibility of Delta State Government. It will be out of place for the state to unduly interfere in the alleged critical management and huge debt issues bedeviling the smooth running of the technical and administrative affairs of the Airstrip.

"It is therefore necessary to place the issues where they are, and those either accusing the governor for his inaction or folks genuinely calling on the state government to fund or take over the management of Osubi Airport, may have acted in good faith but the reality on ground is that the airport has been taken over by the federal government, and to that extent the governor cannot exercise his executive functions in the operations of the facility.

"The governor and the state government remained substantially committed to the growth and expansion of aviation, travel and tourism businesses in the state, and have subsequently appealed to Osubi Airport stakeholders to quickly resolve all grey areas, so that regular scheduled commercial flights into and out of the Airport can commence unhindered for the benefit of Deltans and the travelling members of the general public," Oghenesivbe added.