According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), two aircrafts; Boeing 737 mark N5,-BUJ, and Embraer 145 belonging to Air Peace Airline landed by 2.26 pm and 2.46 pm respectively, yesterday April 30, at Anambra airport.

Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema “…What we have here is the widest runway ever (in Nigeria) ..and could land a Boeing 777 and an Airbus 380.’ He described the new Anambra Airport as ‘an ambitious project initiated by Gov. Willie Obiano which has recorded impressive execution in 15 months’

Length of runway isn’t the only important variable, width is important too, and also influences types and sizes of aircraft capable of using an airports’ services.

None of the runway lengths in airports in Nigeria come close to any global or for that matter, even African leaders. The ‘gong’ for the longest runway in the world is a tie between Shigatse Peace Airport (China) and Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport (Russia), both 5km (5000m)

Nevertheless, with the advances in Aviation Design Technology, modern commercial airports don’t need to be that long.

Airbus A 310 was the first commercial aircraft to have a ‘wingtip fence’ in 1985 which was the precursor to the modern ‘winglets’ ,  ‘sharklets’ and ‘raked wingtip’ designs. While the main benefit of these innovations is reduction in fuel costs and extension of long haul range, they also allow a commercial jet to start descent far earlier, and land comfortably on a shorter runway.

Having a good location – air current behaviour, terrain, altitude, etc,  comfortable runway width, good runway build quality, and the latest available technologies are far more important than winning a ‘mine is bigger than yours’ game with runway length.

Russia and China to a certain extent are where US were in the ’50’s and early ’60’s with this notion of quality improves with increased size… but  biggest isn’t always best.

Margaret Ekpo International, Calabar, whose best runway is 2450m, is able to comfortably accommodate even the largest of the commercial airliners in popular usage, which have been built in the last ten years.

Unless you have plans to land strange six engine Russian or Chinese behemoths, extra runway is expenditure that can be better invested in aviation support technologies in, perhaps the tower.

At the turn of the millennium a plan was afoot for an airport in Osun State which would have broken the 4km line for a Nigerian runway. Unfortunately the local bid grantee AWOL, didn’t get the funding to proceed with the project due to their Turkish partner, Biray Group.

As the relationship between the partners continued to further break down, the local company became increasingly uncontactable by reporters and other local ‘interested parties’… with a name like ‘AWOL’ – it is something you couldn’t make up!

Being the newest airport in Nigeria, Anambra International of course, now has the most cutting edge technology in airport management currently available. Being based in Umueri , it is striking distance from active O&G sites, the river Niger, and many surrounding states, so it will bring huge benefits not only to Anambra but to the region.

References and Acknowledgements:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_in_Nigeria
• Air Peace makes history, lands in Anambra Airport – P.M. News (pmnewsnigeria.com)
• https://rh.gatech.edu/news/62371/new-design-would-let-commercial-jets-use-shorter-runways
• www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/280924-investigation-why-osun-mko-abiola-airport-failed-2.html
• taketotheair.com/future-aircraft-technology/
• https://aertecsolutions.com/en/2019/02/11/the-length-of-a-runway/
• https://tamarackaero.com/insights/2021/03/10/dr-byron-k-lichtenburg—detailed-evaluation-of-active-winglets
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_runways
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingtip_device

Good People, we have already done better than most Nigerian states. Yes, you are aware of the National Bureau of Statistics which noted that 26 states in Nigeria did not receive any foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2020. Some of the outperformers included Adamawa state which attracted $20,000 (not a typo).

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This video by a West African in China has been shared everywhere. Yes, Chinese teachers drive BMW, Mercedes Benz and other expensive cars. That is true. But he missed a critical point in that video: nearly 99% of those teachers did not pay cash (I mean pay at once) for those cars.

In the US, you can walk into any Volkswagen dealership, give them your social security number (like National Identity Number) and they run your credit, and within an hour, you can drive out with most models. It is called Sign & Drive which means you do not even need to pay anything: Volkswagen will allow you to pay over 7 years!

Teachers in Ghana do not have that choice: they have to pay at once. Sure, this is not to say that teachers in Ghana or anywhere in Africa are well compensated. My point is this: if you allow most teachers in my village school alma mater – Ovim Community School, Abia State – to pay over 7 years for at least second hand cars, they have a chance. Today, that is not possible as they must pay 100% on delivery.

So, context matters. Ghana and indeed Africa need a credit system to advance the wealth of the citizens.  That is why we need fintechs to innovate on the credit system in Africa.

First, I do not pursue government contracts. So, I can easily write to Buhari aides and ministers. What they are doing now is not in any way decent and honourable. Yes, the whole nexus that anyone who criticizes the President’s failure of leadership, must be doing so because he asked for a contract, and was turned down.

A few days ago, the junior minister of Labour and Employment shared details of business solicitations which a musician made to him, to join Buhari campaign. That the musician is criticizing the government now, and asking it to do better for the people, MUST not be diminished because he sought for business in the Buhari campaign. 

That a reverend who supported Buhari, and later asked for business opportunities (sure,  that may not be morally right for a priest) and was turned down, does not mean he cannot voice his opinions on the state of the nation. Making him an angry Reverend who is only shouting because he could not get a contract, instead of focusing on his points, diminishes the government.

Nigerians should not buy the current argument from the Presidency: critics criticize because the government did not give them business! If we do, no one can challenge the government because everyone has the right to ask for business opportunities in the nation. If a bank CEO asks for opportunities to install an ATM in Aso Rock, and the government refuses, and the CEO goes to comment on the state of the nation, the government must not diminish that statement because he asked for a legal business opportunity which was turned down.

Asking for legal contracts cannot be criminalized and MUST not disqualify people for making their points on our national, state and local leaderships. We must resist that argument from politicians. Even a government contractor can criticize a government.

Ejike Mbaka, who supported Mr Buhari in his first and second term elections, recently called for Mr Buhari’s impeachment.

In its reaction on Friday, the presidency said Mr Mbaka recently “asked for contracts as compensation for his support.

“An outsider distilling the avalanche of verbiage, will be surprised that after supporting the President two times to win the Presidency, Father Mbaka has made a complete U-Turn, preposterously asking President Buhari to resign or be impeached,” Presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu said.

“Here is the point of departure: Father Mbaka asked for a meeting and to the shock of Presidential Aides, he came accompanied by three contractors. The President graciously allowed them in, and to everyone’s surprise, Father Mbaka asked for contracts as compensation for his support.

“Anyone familiar with President Buhari knows that he doesn’t break the laid down rules in dealing with contracts or any other government business for that matter. He requested the appropriate authorities to deal with the matter in accordance with laid down rules.

“Inside the Villa, discretion prevailed, that if those pictures and requests were made public, the followers will turn against the religious leader. None of it was released. Now, this is what is eating Father Mbaka.”