By Charles Maduka
Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, has called for the relocation or renewal of old buildings surrounding the Abuja International Airport, arguing that the structures tarnish Nigeria’s image.
Speaking during a recent Senate plenary, Nwebonyi said the area should reflect the ongoing infrastructural development in the Federal Capital Territory, led by the Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“I want the FCT Minister to include the surroundings of the Abuja Airport in his next budget. As you descend into the airport, what you see doesn’t represent Nigeria well. The area needs renewal or the people should be relocated,” the Deputy Chief Whip said.
He emphasized that the first impression visitors get while approaching the airport is critical to the country’s image, adding that transforming the area would showcase a more modern Nigeria.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio disagreed with the relocation proposal, saying the airport’s surrounding communities are people’s ancestral homes.
“The image of the nation doesn’t start from what you see when descending. In my state, you see rivers and creeks. Should we relocate that too so it doesn’t spoil anyone’s view?” Akpabio asked.
The Senate subsequently rejected the bill through a voice vote.
Meanwhile, Senator Nwebonyi was recently involved in a verbal confrontation with former Minister of Education, Obi Ezekwesili, during a committee hearing on a separate issue. Tensions flared when Nwebonyi asked to speak, and Ezekwesili interrupted him, prompting a heated response from the senator who criticized her harshly.
“You can never be a senator. You are an insult to womanhood,” Nwebonyi fired back during the exchange.
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