Closure of Maiduguri Airport By Jonathan Government Political - Kashim Shettima, Borno Governor

The closure of Maiduguri Airport last year has been attributed to political intolerance of the immediate past administration of former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

This view was expressed by the Governor of Borno State, Alhaj Kashim Shettima last weekend while speaking to journalists in Maiduguri on the resumption of flight operations into the airport by Med-View Airline. 

 

Posted by Lateef Lawal

The governor explained that the airport was shut because he was not playing along with the antics of the previous federal administration on various contentious issues and the only way he could be punished was to tie the closure of the airport to safety and security based on the Boko Haram insurgency.

 

Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, (middle) his Deputy, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha (left) and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole on their arrival at Maiduguri International Aiport, Borno State during the Inaugural flight of Med-view Airline route, Lagos-Abuja-Maiduguri at the weekend.

 

This singular unpopular decision of the previous Jonathan administration ended up punishing the six million populace of Borno State for the alleged sin of a single person denying them access to air travel which had impacted negatively on their economic fortunes.

He noted that even in war torn capital of Iraq, Bagdad, Damascus in Syria and Kabul their airports and airspace were not shut to air travels as was the case in the total closure of Maiduguri Airport by the administration of former president Jonathan, adding” In this period of Ramadan, I prayed Allah to forgive those behind the past inhuman treatment inflicted on the people of Borno State”.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the re-opening of Maiduguri Airport, there bringing back economic activities not only to the airport but also to the people of the State.

The governor also lauded the Managing Director of Med-View Airline, Alhaj Muneer Bankole and his management team for taking the initiative to be the first domestic airline to resume flight operations into Maiduguri Airport, assuring the airline of the support of the government and people of the State, adding that “ A friend in need, is a friend in deed”.

He said with the re-opening of the airport and the commencement of flight operations, moslems in the State would no longer be going through the rigours of travelling to adjourning States to board flight to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.