The Ogun State Government has revealed that the agro international airport, situated on Iperu-Ilishan Road within Illenne Local Government Area, is in its final stages of development, with a significant completion rate of 90 per cent.
The Nigeria Customs Service’s National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, conveyed in a statement on Tuesday that Ade Akinsanya, the state’s Commissioner of Works, made this declaration during an assessment of various projects within the state. This inspection was carried out by Adewale Adeniyi, the acting Comptroller General of Customs.
As part of the inspection, the Customs CG inspected a range of projects, including the planned 100-hectare Customs Training College, the headquarters of Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, a government warehouse, and the agro international airport.
Akinsanya, while speaking during the visit, drew attention to the convenience of the site’s accessibility and shared information about the envisioned timeline for finalising the construction of the agro-international cargo airport.
He said, ‘The target for us to get this project ready is the end of the year. The runway is completely done, the control tower is about 90 per cent, and all the equipment needed is completely procured. In terms of capacity, there is enough room to grow, right now we have a warehouse under construction with a terminal building where you will be able to help us man. So things are taking shape and the governor is pushing us to get everything done by the end of the year.’
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Prior to this, the Customs chief voiced his satisfaction with the strides taken thus far and assured of upholding a responsible and cooperative neighbourly relationship with the state government.
In his words, ‘We are happy that we are going to be your neighbours, and I can commit to you that we are going to be very responsible neighbours; we are going to operate in a way that will make Ogun State proud’.
Adeniyi stressed the need for the contractors to operate within the confines of the contract’s time constraints.
He also pointed out that the project’s relevance was closely tied to its strategic role in shaping the future landscape of customs operations in Nigeria.
According to him, ‘As we try to get our process right, as we try to bring innovation, we now need outstanding infrastructural support to drive these operations.’
The CGC also said that the service intended to maintain a rigorous stance regarding compliance with the designated contract duration.
‘We are going to be very strict with the contract period. We cannot afford the airport to take off too far away before we start here. So we want some kind of development to be happening side by side. I believe that our presence here will add value to the airport just like we believe that the airport will also add value to us’.
Adeniyi, accompanied by the commissioner, project manager, and his management team, went on a comprehensive tour of both the proposed customs project site and the agro cargo international airport currently in the construction phase.