The construction of the 2nd runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja will soon commence following the signing of an agreement on compensation of N800 million to the Jiwa Community on whose land the runway will be constructed.
In the agreement signed between the Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Jiwa community in the FCT, on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, a sum of Eight Hundred and Twenty-Five Million, Eight Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eleven Naira Forty-Three Kobo (N825, 819,911.43) would be paid to the community as compensation to pave way for the commencement of work on the project.
This was announced in a press release signed by Anthony Ogunleye, Director Press Affairs in the office of the FCT minister dated August 29, 2023.
The statement said the FCT Minister, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, assured that the money has been made available and will get to all affected in the next few days.
“As we leave here, the Federal Capital Territory through the FCDA will release the money approved for compensation and resettlement of those who are there. The total value of what we are paying is N825, 819,911.43 (Eight hundred and twenty-five million, eight hundred and nineteen thousand naira, Nine Hundred and Eleven Naira Forty-Three Kobo) for the compensation and resettlement.”
The statement further said the contract for the construction of the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was awarded in March 2022 by the Ministry of Aviation and Aero Space Development, but work could not commence due to disagreements over issues of resettlement and compensatio
However, following the signing of the agreement between the FCTA and the Jiwa community, the FCT Minister, Barrister Wike, says contractors will now move to site in the next few days to commence work on the project, after the payment of the agreed sum to the community.
Barr Wike who spoke shortly after a meeting between the FCT Administration, the Ministry of Aviation and Aero Space Development, as well as representatives of the Jiwa Community at the FCDA Conference Room in Abuja, expressed gratitude to God for the amicable resolution of the contending issues.
The Minister who also appreciated the Sarkin Jiwa, HRH, Alhaji Idris Musa, for mobilizing his people to resolve the issues, stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mandated the Ministry of Aviation to kick-start and complete the second runway project, which is very vital for the international airport in the FCT.
