RECONSTRUCTION OF THE OVER-AGED RUNWAY
Chunwike Onike argues that Nigerian engineers and professionals should be empowered by using them more
Much has been said for and against the closure or non-closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja for the reconstruction of the over-aged runway. The closure would start from March 8, 2017 stretching the prescribed six weeks duration to allow for a comprehensive runway reconstruction.
Opinions differ in several instances; some suggesting that the airport should not be closed but that installment over-nightly reconstruction programme be adopted to enable the airport resume operations each following day, and daily until the aged runway is totally reconstructed. This would enable air passengers go in and out of Abuja Airport unaware of the reconstruction efforts going on the runway.
On the other hand however, the Minister of State for Avaition Hadi Sirika assured that before the closure of the Nnamd Azikiwe International Airport, Kaduna Airport would be renovated sufficiently to receive all aircraft and passengers that would have landed at NAIA at closure. And that, in addition to Kaduna Airport renovation, the roads and highway to transport the air passengers from Kaduna Airport to Abuja would be repaired. Also to be improved upon, will be the Kaduna-Abuja rail transportation. The minister further announced that security along Kaduna-Abuja routes would, in addition, be beefed up. All these pre-closure arrangements are to provide the aircraft passengers with travelling convenience, as they journey by road or rail from Kaduna to Abuja.
Either way: closed or not, the aged airport runway can in either condition be successfully reconstructed.
The advantage of closing the Abuja Airport, over any other option to allow for reconstruction is laudable, though, it is only one. That one advantage, the minister would set to achieve, in my own estimation, is the craft of using one stone to kill many birds. The thought of a closure, would have thrown up challenges deserving to be confronted; especially under the pressure of time constraint to reconstruct the runway, and nearly equal short time to prepare the alternative to NAIA before its closure. A smart alternative must come readily without delay. That smart alternative presented itself in the form of getting the Kaduna Airport immediately renovated; ready for use by Abuja bound or departing aircraft and passengers when Abuja Airport runway closes. But for 24/7 reconstruction programme of the Abuja Airport runway, six weeks reconstruction period could be short. The minister, however, can achieve the objectives if bureaucratic bottlenecks are removed. Who knows whether the speed at which the works will be performed will introduce a new pace in government businesses! Important work addendums to the renovation of Kaduna Airport as alternative runway are the simultaneous incorporation of the repairs of roads and highway leading from Kaduna Airport to Abuja; the augmentation to Kaduna-Abuja rail transportation; and the beefing up of security on the Kaduna-Abuja travelling corridors; all taken by the minister of state in one fell swoop. It can be envisaged that these pre-closure arrangements are to ameliorate the inevitable inconveniences the air passengers using the alternative airport will undergo.
The outstanding effect on completion of these infrastructural works will happily be felt by the general public who will be the ultimate beneficiaries to use the improved facilities. While the air passengers bear the additional travelling burden of cost in cash, time, and discomfiture as the closure lasts.
In the discussion that continued in the Senate, the Minister of Power, Works & Housing, said he preferred “safety” of the passengers over share “convenience” they might enjoy landing in Abuja Airport.
On the face value, the rationale of the Minister would seem to fly. He might have supposed that if the airport was not closed, air passengers’ “safety” might be at risk, because overnight runway reconstruction might leave unattended hazards in process. (This is most unlikely in an engineering procedure.)
The reason, as posited by the minister may not be altogether correct. This is because in any serious engineering construction such as the reconstruction of this runway, whether the airport is closed or not, “safety” as a matter of serious engineering practice is an irreducible quantity that must be implemented to details. In engineering works environments, safety engineers assess risks associated with the work, and initiate system operational measures to eliminate hazards to or from workforce, machines, materials, and stray objects in the skillful manoeuvring of these work elements. In the calculated work plan, hazards likely to compromise “safety” in the work environment are identified and reduced. For the reconstruction of the runway such as this, therefore, “safety” measures are paramount, and breach is reduced to zero.
What should be of great concern are the steps being taken to ameliorate extreme inconveniences the air passengers would put up with landing at Kaduna Airport instead of Abuja Airport for which the Minister of State has mapped out strategies to tackle.
In conclusion, and in all of these works, where is the Nigerian engineering (not Nigerian engineers per se) competences utilized? Let’s look around the country. Are there no competent Nigerian engineering companies as well as other Nigerian professional companies to be engaged in doing these major works? In a country where heavy engineering jobs in public infrastructure are offered mainly, and perhaps exclusively to foreign companies and paid for by Nigerian governments; reduces the opportunity for Nigerian professional companies to practice and acquire requisite experiences and competences. I have heard some comments saying, ‘these Nigerian companies do not have heavy equipment to handle these super/infrastructure in the country, and therefore Nigerian governments usually prefer foreign companies’. Let’s remind ourselves of certain facts. These foreign companies build, or rather develop themselves in their home countries where they have bona fide citizenship rights and privileges protected under their countries’ laws in the practice of their engineering and other professional trades, to the exclusion of companies of other nationals. Advanced countries are said to be developed because these countries are strictly developed by their own citizens. They put their engineers and other professionals to task. Nigeria must of necessity use indigenous engineering companies and Nigerian professional companies to do the jobs for which Nigerian Governments must pay for, promptly, from government coffers. It should also be noted that these foreign companies that are admired in Nigeria, became competent in their countries, before exporting their know-how to Nigeria to seek and compete for jobs among themselves, and paid erroneously, directly from government coffers. Without controversy though, most of these foreign companies stock their work yards with efficient work machines largely procured (bought or hired) from their home countries, the costs of which are invariably, and usually and appropriately put in contract sums. We are also to remind ourselves that these foreign companies are not the manufacturers of the equipment they use in construction. Nigerian engineering companies if exclusively and strictly patronised by Nigerian governments, could similarly buy or hire these machinery for jobs of any description; and this practice will consequently develop organised, and flourishing machinery/plant hire Markets and businesses in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, it is a high time our governments put their money where their mouths are. This can be done by Nigerian governments using only Nigerian professional companies in doing all the Nigerian public super/infrastructure and pay for same from governments’ treasuries. Such legislated practice will offer Nigerian professional companies necessary protection to practice and gain experiences and competences. The offer of heavy engineering jobs to Nigerian companies however, must be under strict conditions, and supervision that will extract uncompromised work quality standards. Technical courts and tribunals must be set up to try defective works expeditiously; directors and incompetent professionals and accomplices found prosecuting poor jobs must be tried and sent to long jail terms.