Jalingo Airport to resume regular flight operarions next three weeks
Jethro Yerga, Jalingo
Pharmacist Danbaba Danfulani Suntai Airport Jalingo, Taraba State is set to commence regular flight operations in the next three weeks.
The Taraba State Commissioner of transport, Hon Yakubu Samaaila disclosed this in Jalingo while fielding questions from journalists on recent developments in the transportation sector of the State
He noted that the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Dr Agbu Kefas, came in as the Governor of the State at the time the Airport was short down for some months but he immediately engaged the services of a consultant that worked assiduously to get some permits which had now set the Airport in operation.
The Commissioner disclosed that the State Government had so far, obtained provisional approval for six months for Aircrafts to land and take off from Jalingo Airport.
He said the government had accordingly, gotten approval from Rano Air to fly Abuja Jalingo and Jalingo Abuja route. The government according to him, is also currently in a conversation with the organization to extend their route to Jalingo Kano and Kano Jalingo. The request, he said the Company was considering to honour in no distant time.
“We were given some conditions and we are working on them. By the grace of God, at the end of September, we should be done with 95 percent of the conditions we were given so that we can retain the opening of the Airport
“Also, we usually operate with Overland Company but it is not flying now because their Aircrafts are undergoing maintainance (sea check). The company has also procure 6 Air Crafts that are on their way to Nigeria. By the time they come and resume operation, they will be flying Jalingo Abuja, Abuja Jalingo routes. So we are sure of having regular flight by the next three weeks”. He stated.
While harping on the government commitment towards transforming the state capital and the transportation system of the state, the Commissioner revealed that the Executive Governor of Taraba State Dr Agbu Kefas was making some frantic efforts to procure buses that will facilitate inter state movement and even across the sixteen Local Government Areas of the state at a very cheaper rate.
He said for the meantime, the Taraba State Government had completed arrangements to procure Metropolitan 33 and 52 seater buses to ease internal movements of people especially workers and students withing Jalingo metropolist on heavy subsidise rate.
He said that inview of the development, the Taraba State Ministry of Transportation had gone round and divided the capital city into five routes as well as demarcated some bus stops in strategic places to ease operations of the buses when they arrived.
“We embarked on this project most specifically to help our pupils and students. That is why most of the Bus Stops are located very close to public schools. Our Governor, His Excellency Dr Agbu Kefas wants education to be free completely. He also does not want the children to be trekking from their houses to school because some may have accident
“So We have first finished the demarcation of the Bus Stops. We have identified our routes as Kona to Sobongari, Immigration to the Airport Junction among three other routes within the town. We are waiting for the Taraba State parliative commitee to call us at their preferred time so that we will brief them on the development”. He added
The Commissioner pointed out that because of the urgency of the development, the Ministry did not erect the bus stops, but only fixed signs of bus stops at the appropriate places along the identified routes where people would stop and the buses would pick them.
Hon Yakubu also revealed that his Ministry had engaged market associations and Security Agencies and they all resolved that traders selling direcly on roads within the town, especially on the main market road, should evacuate within two weeks to decongest the roads and give way for free vehicular movements. He said illegal Motor Parks are also banned and warned motorists to desist from such parks as Security Agencies would be going after them by the following week.
