Plateau Inaugurates Committee To Upgrade Yakubu Gowon Airport
The Plateau State Government on Monday inaugurated a private sector-driven technical committee to fast-track the upgrade of infrastructure and services at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, describing the project as critical to boosting agro-exports and tourism development.
Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, who inaugurated the committee at the Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, said the initiative was driven by ongoing investments, including the Special Agro-Processing Zone funded by the African Development Bank.
“The SAPZ is designed to boost the export of our agricultural products. We therefore need an airport that can support those services, given the expected influx of goods and passengers,” Jatau said.
He explained that the SAPZ, located around Heipang, requires “an efficient airport to support the anticipated movement of goods and passengers.”
Jatau added that the state’s tourism sector is also expanding through Public-Private Partnership arrangements, “making it imperative to strengthen transportation infrastructure.”
He urged members of the committee “to commence work immediately and submit their recommendations within two months to enable the government to meet its obligations.”
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Transport, Davou Jatau, said revamping the airport infrastructure “is key to addressing longstanding agricultural off-take challenges in the state.”
According to him, Plateau, “despite being an agrarian state with high productivity, lacks the logistics framework to move produce to both local and international markets.”
“Over the years, we have been made to understand that the airport’s runway has exceeded its lifespan,” the commissioner said, noting that poor infrastructure has limited the state’s export potential.
He lamented that farmers “continue to record bumper harvests without corresponding market access, describing the situation as a major setback to economic growth.”
The commissioner recalled that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government for the upgrade of the airport into a cargo hub.
He explained that the current committee “harmonises earlier committees set up to review the MoU and develop surrounding infrastructure, in line with the directive of Governor Caleb Mutfwang to accelerate the process.”
In his remarks, Chairman of the Committee, Kudla Satumari, expressed confidence in the team’s capacity, describing members as “professionals with the requisite expertise in the aviation sector.”
He assured all that the assignment would be “handled with professionalism, transparency, and within the stipulated timeframe, with regular communication with the state government.”
