Ogun State on Tuesday, has inaugurated the first commercial flight of the Gateway International Airport, Ilishan Remo.
The aircraft owned by Valuejet, with registration number 5N-BXS and 90 passengers on board, departed the airport at 10:10 a.m. to Abuja.
Speaking at the unveiling along the Iperu-Ilisan road in the Ikenne Local Govt Area of the State, the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun said the journey to actualize the airport started in 2021 and was part of the vision to provide a well- modeled transport system for the State.
“We came here in 2021; some people said it was just a photo op, they said it was just politics, they mocked us, and they said this place is nothing but a dump site. Some even said that we were going to use this place as a cattle ranch.
“Some others had this airport built on a PowerPoint, but again, we are here today, and we have seen what can be achieved when there is vision, when there is collective vision, inclusive vision, inclusive participation, and when there is passion and diligence.
He emphasized that his administration was determined to have the best-constructed, equipped, and befitting airport for the state, noting that apart from being the industrial capital of the nation, the State is blessed with a population, making it the fastest-growing economy in Nigeria today.
The administration’s vision, Governor Abiodun maintained, is supported by several business cases, adding that the airport is situated in an Aerotropolis, with many companies springing up, just as the biggest textile plant in the world and the Nigeria Customs Village are sited around the airport.
He appreciated regulators in the aviation sector, especially the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, for providing quality supervision for the airport.
Speaking in an interview, the Speaker of the State’s House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, noted that the airport is in tandem with the dreams of the State’s founding fathers and would serve as a window to the outside world.
On his part, the member representing Imeko-Afon-Yewa North at the House of Representatives, Hon. Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka, expressed delight that the airport has finally come to stay, enjoining industrialists to take advantage and leverage their businesses while soliciting people’s support for the project.
The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Ona-Najomo, commended the state government for keeping faith with all regulatory dictates of the regulatory agencies, just as he expressed satisfaction with the project.