Lawmaker wades into Imo airport, host community crisis, assures youths of peaceful settlement

*Stakeholders caution FAAN against making provocative utterances

The member representing Ngor Okpala State Constituency at the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Egu has waded into the crisis brewing between the management of the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (SMICA), Owerri and the youths of its host communities in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state.

Egu’s intervention followed the threat by the host community youths of the airport under the auspices of Onyeaghalanwanneya Youths Movement(OYM), to ground operations at the airport runway in protest of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) does not do anything to improve security of the premises and stop attacks on the community members by hoodlums.

Recall that a pregnant woman in Awogwu village of Logara Community, Mrs. Chinwendu Amadi, was reportedly raped and killed inside the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (SMICA), Owerri by unidentified hoodlums.

The incident, which threw the entire clan into mourning, was blamed on the alleged neglect of the security of the airport premises by the FAAN management, whose MD, the community said, refused to employ night guards shortlisted for him by the host community. 

The development prompted threats of protest and disruption of flight operations by the community youths.

However, worried by the tension created by the development, Hon. Egu summoned the meeting of the stakeholders of the airport host community at the country home of the Government Liaison Officer (GLO) and president, Onyeaghanwanneya Youth Movement (OYM), Comrade Chukwuma Anuforo, at Umuezue Umuopara Obiangwu, where he told them that the matter was already before the state house of assembly and the state government for urgent action.

Egu, who spoke through Comrade Anuforo, urged the community members, particularly the youths of the town to shelve the planned protest as according to him, plans were on top gear for amicable resolution of the matter.

He therefore urged them to document their grievances in the form of petition and submit to appropriate authorities as he would follow up the letters to ensure quick response.

Meanwhile in response to the lawmaker’s request, the stakeholders during their security meeting itemised their grievances in a the letter addressed to the managing director, FAAN, through the airport manager, and demanded among other things, immediate  construction of a perimeter fence round the airport environment for the protection of the airport personnel and facilities to stop intruders from having free access to the airport premises.

They also demanded an immediate regularization and conversion of thirty ocal vigilantees engaged during the insecurity period as night guards by FAAN management so as to protect the airport runway including NAMA and NIMET facilities.

They also urged FAAN to rejig their security apparatus by putting a proactive measures that will end the carting away of the underground armoured cables for the airfield night landing lights installed by Governor Hope Uzodimma.

Other demands included included “establishment of a joint surveillance and patrol team with a security post at the airport runway which is to regulate and monitor movement of persons within the airport runway as a proactive measure to forestall further ugly occurrence at the runway”.

“To officially write to Imo state commissioner of police for approval to make the police post at AFOR UMUOHIAGU functional by providing police personnels and equipments and also establishing of two more additional police posts at EKE OBIANGWU and NKWO LOGARA both are SMICA host communities.

“SMICA is situated in the middle of five sister communities requires a construction of a ring road that will connect each other which will grant them access to each other Including movement of their agricultural produce, market, church, school , including their traditional and cultural activities. etc”

The stakeholders also urged FAAN to immediately implement the recruitment approval given for both junior and senior cadres granted to Governor Uzodimma  by the immediate past minister for aviation and aerospace development, Sen Hadi Abubakar Sirika for host communities and Imo people.

They further warned that failure to implement the recruitment approval, considering the huge commitment made by Governor Uzodimma  on infrastructural development at the airport, “it will be viewed as a total disregard and disrespect to our dear state governor and chairman, APC Governor’s Forum, and we are emphatically putting federal ministry of aviation and management of FAAN on notice that our next negotiation will be at the runway.

“We also commend the pragmatic and resourceful leadership of Dr (Mrs) Nkechi Al-ihekwaba , the airport manager for her motherly and prompt response approach to issues.

“We urge FAAN management to disregard any letter of request from any attention seeking persons for employment hence we are very confident in the leadership of Hon(Comr) Chukwuma Anuforo, the OYM president and GLO as the recognized channel for negotiations.

“Above all, we are grateful and appreciate efforts and zeal of His Excellency, Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodimma, Chairman APC Governor’s Forum. We sincerely urge FAAN management and other sister agencies like NAMA , NIMET and NCAA to compliment the efforts of the Governor for infrastructural improvement at SMICA”.

They used the opportunity to call on the National Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) to eschew tribalism while engaging staff in the airport, warning that the youths of the host community would soon face them for neglecting their key duties in the airport because their equipment was already overgrown with weeds

Meanwhile, the stakeholders have cautioned the FAAN management to avoid making provocative utterances over the death of their wife inside the airport.

They said in their statement: “Our attention has also been drawn to the reaction of the FAAN management over the rape and death of Mrs. Chinwendu Amadi, a pregnant woman, inside the airport.

“FAAN, through its Director Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mrs. Obiageli Orahi, had in a statement stated that the incident was not perpetrated inside the airport.

“We wish to caution her to avoid making provocative utterances over the death of our wife inside the airport. If she is saying that the pregnant woman was not killed inside the airport, she should better tell the world where the woman was raped and killed before her naked body was dumped inside the airport.

“She also mentioned that the night guards on ground did not report any unusual observations in the area in question. But the question is, were there any night guards? The answer is an emphatic no, which is the reason this incident even happened in the first place.

“If Mrs. Orahi is defending, let her defense be such that will not jeopardise  the healthy relationship existing between the airport and the host community.

“Finally, we wish to use this medium to ask everyone to calm down at least for the sake of the airport manager, who has given us every reason to cooperate with her.

“It is based on the forgoing that we have resolved to shelve the planned protest while hoping that FAAN should do the needful”, the statement read.

The document was signed by the GLO and president Onyeaghalanwanneya Youth Movement, Comrade Chukwuma Anuforo; President General, Logara Community, Chief Martin Opara;  president general, Ezemba Community, Christopher Ikechukwu; leader, Ngor Okpala Legislative Council and councillor rep. Obiangwu ward 10 hon. Chibuike Donald Agbugba;  hon. Justice Uba Eke Councilor rep. Umuohiagu/logara ward 11, Comrade Charles opara community liason officer for OYM  (,Evang Chidi Njoku , Nze Paul OYM executives) among others.

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