The Nigerian government has cancelled the contract for a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the nation’s capital, after federal MPs said the cost was too high.
The 4.4km runway, which is expected to augment the only existing one at the airport which was built 27 years ago, was reportedly awarded to construction giant Julius Berger at a cost of 63.5 billion naira (US$1=150 Naira).
The two chambers of the National Assembly (Parliament) have launched investigations into the contract, whose cost they said could build two brand new airports complete with runways.
A panel set up by the federal government had recommended that the contract cost be reduced to 49.6 billion naira, but the private Thisday newspaper reported Monday that the project has now been cancelled.
It said President Goodluck Jonathan had directed the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, to terminate the contract and advertised it afresh for competitive bidding.
A member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, had said of the contract: “The Bucharest airport had its runway recently installed for the equivalent of 17.5 billion Naira. A similar construction was also carried out in Thailand at about 18 billion Naira. The recently commissioned Akwa Ibom International Airport (in South-East Nigeria), with maintenance facilities, and the country’s longest runway, was completed at 42 billion Naira.”