Nigeria Content Online

The World Bank has provided Nigeria with the sum of
$46 million for the upgrading of airport facilities across the country,
the bank’s team leader, Noro Rabefanirana, said yesterday in Abuja.

The official, who was accompanied by the bank’s
country director, Owlo Ruhl, said the money was to bring the airports
up to international standards where passengers can board planes without
any fear of technical deficiencies.

Ms Rabefanirana expressed happiness that, within a
short while, the federal government has moved the functionality of the
airports from 11 per cent to 36 per cent and stated that Nigeria will
move higher very soon. She said airports are critical to the economy of
any nation, and any country that plays with her aviation industry is
doing that at her own peril.

The Minister of Aviation, Fidelia Njeze, expressed
appreciation for the assistance of the World bank. She said this was
the sixth in the series of the bank’s mission to Nigeria to supervise
our aviation component of West and Central African Transport Safety and
Security, since inception in 2007.

Intervention measures

She disclosed that in order to avoid unforeseen
circumstances such as air mishaps in future, the federal government has
put in place some intervention measures to enhance the facilities and
services at the airports, with a view to meeting the challenges of the
21st century and building a truly modern Nigeria aviation sector in
compliance with international standards.

“The federal government decided to join the West and
Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Safety Project (WCAATSSP) after
due consideration of activities of the World Bank in providing
financial assistance to execute projects that will have positive direct
bearing on the people, spread over 23 nations in the West and Central
Africa countries,” she said.

Ms Njeze said having met eligibility criteria for
lending, a total of $46.65 million credit facility was granted by the
bank to Nigeria for the implementation of aviation safety and security
projects in the four major international airports and at the College of
Aviation Technology, Zaria.

Under the Government Economic Reform Agenda, the minister disclosed
that the bank also granted the sum of $15 million to the aviation
ministry to fill infrastructural gaps that exist in the sector,
including the provision of operational fencing projects for Abuja and
Port Harcourt international airports.