Minister says Nigerians elected a responsive, capable govt in 2015

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture says the

In a statement made available to by his special adviser, Segun Adeyemi on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, the minister described the closure of the airport and its accompanying logistics challenges as one among the most intimidating challenges of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“The clock-work precision with which everything concerning the closure of the airport and the temporary relocation to the Kaduna Airport was handled is the clearest indication yet that Nigeria can tackle any challenge,” Mohammed said.

“It is to the credit of the security agencies and the Federal Road Safety Corps that passengers travelling along the ever-busy Abuja-Kaduna highway were largely kept safe while the closure of the Abuja airport lasted.

“There was no known security scare while accidents on the road were kept at the barest minimum, despite the increased vehicular traffic.

“Who can forget the timely departure and arrival of the Abuja-Kaduna train that ferried thousands of passengers back and forth during the Abuja airport closure?

“Indeed, the closure of the Abuja airport runway and the logistic nightmare it triggered must rank among the most intimidating challenges faced by this Administration,” he said.

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The minister reminded those who might want to trivialise the feat by the present government to realise that what could not be done in the over 30 years the runway was left to deteriorate was achieved in just six weeks, even under an economic recession.

He also thanked the Ethiopian Airlines that operated its scheduled Abuja flights to Kaduna and the Julius Berger construction company that worked day and night to deliver the project ahead of schedule.

Mohammed said the success recorded in the timely reconstruction of the runway could only rank next to the determined effort with which the government contained the Boko Haram insurgency.

Mohammed noted that the Buhari administration was employing the same uncommon determination to tackle all the challenges facing the country.