ABDULLAH BUKAR ON OSUBI AIRPORT: ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REPORTED APPROVAL TO TAKE OVER OSUBI AIRSTRIP NEAR WARRI
November 19, 2020 | News
I recently wrote on the subject matter, where I expressed our shock and surprise that, despite reports in February 2020, which noted that due to the festering face-off between aviation service providers and the management of Osubi Airport, in Warri, Delta State, the Federal Government had approved a takeover of the private purpose-built airstrip.
ABDULLAH BUKAR ON OSUBI AIRPORT: ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REPORTED APPROVAL TO TAKE OVER OSUBI AIRSTRIP NEAR WARRI.
I recently wrote on the subject matter, where I expressed our shock and surprise that, despite reports in February 2020, which noted that due to the festering face-off between aviation service providers and the management of Osubi Airport, in Warri, Delta State, the Federal Government had approved a takeover of the private purpose-built airstrip. But up till now, the said Osubi Airstrip has remained not functional. Thereby, forcing flight passengers to drive/travel/commute the already bad expressway from Warri to Benin in Edo State, just to get a flight to Lagos and Abuja.
Here is a commentary on this issue from Engr. Abdullah Bukar, who happens to be an expert in the Oil and Gas industry, a Shell Scholar and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, best known as “the gas man”, as he spent quite a bit of his career working on gas supply projects, and developing the initial concepts of the Shell Nigeria Gas Master Plan for putting out gas flares in the South South of the Niger-Delta.
In Bukar words: “My brother. I feel very sad to hear that one of the jewels of my career in Shell, the Osubi Airport has been closed. Those of us who laboured day and night between1996 to the formal commissioning by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001, of the Famous Osubi Airport serving Delta and Edo States and the Oil Industry then, operating one quarter of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry from Warri must be very sad at this turn of events.
“Delta State, and indeed the whole area around Warri and environs, needed this infrastructure to open up Oil City of Warri as one of the biggest industrial centres in the country. The Warri Area is unique in Nigeria in having itself as the base for over 800,000b/d of oil production, 600 mmscd/d gas production, a Refinery for 100,000b/d, Petrochemical Plant, the Aladja Steel Plant, the Port of Warri, the Niger-Benue Transport Company also at Aladja - ALL UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PROVIDE A SOLID INDUSTRIAL BASE FOR PRODUCTIVE ENTERPRISE AND ROBUST BUSINESS.
“No other city in the country is so endowed like Warri. The full utilization of the Assets concentrated in this area is absolutely a SOUND BASE FOR OUR LOCAL CONTENTS DEVELOPMENT, IN MANUFACTURING AND TRADE.
“The recent opening in October of the Railway line between Itakpe in Kogi State and Aladja near Warri, has widened the economic impact of this hub. So, without hesitation, Shell proposed and executed this project in record time, to provide easy air access to all comers. At one time in 2002 and 2003, Osubi Airstrip was only second to Lagos in terms of aircraft movements statistics in this country.”
One then begins to wonder what happened? That such an Airstrip in a commercial city hub like Warri, would be abandoned and left to rot away. The current movement of flight passengers from Warri to Benin just to get a flight to Lagos or Abuja, is rather unhealthy, burdensome and a senseless situation which is being suffered by flight travelers in Warri and environs. The question to the Federal Government and relevant authorities in the Aviation sector is, why has the said Osubi Airstrip still not functional up till now, despite Federal Government’s plans and approval to take it over early this year?
Zik Gbemre.
November 19, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
I recently wrote on the subject matter, where I expressed our shock and surprise that, despite reports in February 2020, which noted that due to the festering face-off between aviation service providers and the management of Osubi Airport, in Warri, Delta State, the Federal Government had approved a takeover of the private purpose-built airstrip. But up till now, the said Osubi Airstrip has remained not functional. Thereby, forcing flight passengers to drive/travel/commute the already bad expressway from Warri to Benin in Edo State, just to get a flight to Lagos and Abuja.
Here is a commentary on this issue from Engr. Abdullah Bukar, who happens to be an expert in the Oil and Gas industry, a Shell Scholar and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, best known as “the gas man”, as he spent quite a bit of his career working on gas supply projects, and developing the initial concepts of the Shell Nigeria Gas Master Plan for putting out gas flares in the South South of the Niger-Delta.
In Bukar words: “My brother. I feel very sad to hear that one of the jewels of my career in Shell, the Osubi Airport has been closed. Those of us who laboured day and night between1996 to the formal commissioning by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001, of the Famous Osubi Airport serving Delta and Edo States and the Oil Industry then, operating one quarter of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry from Warri must be very sad at this turn of events.
“Delta State, and indeed the whole area around Warri and environs, needed this infrastructure to open up Oil City of Warri as one of the biggest industrial centres in the country. The Warri Area is unique in Nigeria in having itself as the base for over 800,000b/d of oil production, 600 mmscd/d gas production, a Refinery for 100,000b/d, Petrochemical Plant, the Aladja Steel Plant, the Port of Warri, the Niger-Benue Transport Company also at Aladja - ALL UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PROVIDE A SOLID INDUSTRIAL BASE FOR PRODUCTIVE ENTERPRISE AND ROBUST BUSINESS.
“No other city in the country is so endowed like Warri. The full utilization of the Assets concentrated in this area is absolutely a SOUND BASE FOR OUR LOCAL CONTENTS DEVELOPMENT, IN MANUFACTURING AND TRADE.
“The recent opening in October of the Railway line between Itakpe in Kogi State and Aladja near Warri, has widened the economic impact of this hub. So, without hesitation, Shell proposed and executed this project in record time, to provide easy air access to all comers. At one time in 2002 and 2003, Osubi Airstrip was only second to Lagos in terms of aircraft movements statistics in this country.”
One then begins to wonder what happened? That such an Airstrip in a commercial city hub like Warri, would be abandoned and left to rot away. The current movement of flight passengers from Warri to Benin just to get a flight to Lagos or Abuja, is rather unhealthy, burdensome and a senseless situation which is being suffered by flight travelers in Warri and environs. The question to the Federal Government and relevant authorities in the Aviation sector is, why has the said Osubi Airstrip still not functional up till now, despite Federal Government’s plans and approval to take it over early this year?
Zik Gbemre.
November 19, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes