On-the-maintenance-neglect-of-the-osubi-airstrip-by-its-operators-and-the-urgent-need-for-federal-government-intervention-for-the-takeover-upgrade-expansion-of-the-osubi-airstrip-to-a-standard-airport
September 7, 2020 | News
ON THE MAINTENANCE-NEGLECT OF THE OSUBI AIRSTRIP BY ITS OPERATORS, AND THE URGENT NEED FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S INTERVENTION FOR THE TAKEOVER/UPGRADE/EXPANSION OF THE OSUBI AIRSTRIP TO A STANDARD AIRPORT
With regards to the subject matter, firstly, we consider it appalling that big commercial airline operators in the country like Arik Air and Aero Contractors, are yet to resume their complete weekly fights schedule (from Monday – Sunday), at the Osubi Airstrip near Warri, Delta State, just like we have them in other airports across the country. Why are there no flights on Sundays from the Osubi Airstrip? This situation has forced flight passengers in Warri to travel to other States just to board a flight to either Lagos or Abuja. This situation is not good for Delta State because Warri is the commercial nerve center and the economic livewire of the State. As such, it deserves an operational full-fledged standard airport. What is more appalling is the fact that since the divestment and exit of Shell (SPDC) from Delta State, the Osubi Airstrip has become a shadow of itself, as its maintenance is completely neglected by the new Operators. Even some of the facilities at the said Osubi Airstrip are becoming obsolete. This was not the case when Shell (SPDC) was operating/managing the Airstrip.
For instance, the cooling systems in the Osubi Airstrip at the Arrival and Departure Halls are not working, in fact, the entire facilities of the said Airstrip need urgent maintenance attention. The saddest part is that Toll Gates have been mounted at the entrance of the Osubi Airstrip, hence, every vehicle going into the Airstrip to pick-up or drop flight passengers, are made to pay a toll fare. While small vehicles like Saloons are made to pay a toll of N100, bigger vehicles like Jeeps are made to pay a toll of N200 flat. The question now is, what exactly are the Operators of the Airstrip doing with all that revenue gotten from the said Osubi Airstrip Toll Gates? The said money collected at these Toll Gates are obviously not being used for the maintenance of the Osubi Airstrip. That means, aside this stated problem of lack of maintenance, the Osubi Airstrip also needs to be upgraded to a Standard Airport. And since Shoreline Oil Service Company Ltd, as the new Operators of the Osubi Airstrip, is not running the Airstrip as expected, it is therefore left for the Federal Government to come take it over without delay.
We have repeated severally that the ‘strategic location’ of the Osubi Airstrip, near the oil city of Warri and environs, has made it ‘a favorite’ for Nigerians in Delta State and beyond. Hence, the general increasing desires to have it developed to a standard Airport to accommodate bigger aircrafts for more patronage. The major work that is required of the Government here is to ‘increase the size of the Osubi Airstrip runway’ so that large aircrafts can land at the Airstrip that will be turned into a standard Airport. This will result in economies of scale, reduce air fares and increase the number of flights and passengers. There are sensitive oil and gas assets and operations in Warri and environs like the Shell (SPDC) Forcados Terminal, Shell Industrial Area (IA) Ogunu-Warri, the Warri Refinery and Petro-Chemical, Naval Base, Army Barracks, Air Force Base, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), Delta Steel Company (DSC), Ughelli Pump Station (UPS), Delta Power Stations, Ogorode Power Station, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Chevron Escravos Tank Farm and Terminal, all branches of Nigerian Commercial banks in Effurun/Warri, Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), the Utorogu Gas Plant and Utorogu NAG-2 (DomGas Plant) Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), etc, which make these areas very ‘active with business, commercial activities’ and movement of people by air.
Though, we have made several calls and appeals, for quite some years now and still counting, to the Nigerian Federal Government, expressing the need for them, now under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, to embark on the expansion/upgrade of the runway and other facilities of the Osubi Airstrip near Warri in Delta State, to make it a Standard Airport that will accommodate bigger Aircrafts, which will make it more commercially viable for Airline Operators patronage; we are surprised that up till now, the Presidency has not moved a muscle to consider this very important project.
We only got a response on the subject matter in a letter dated 9th May, 2018, signed by T. Alkali (Capt.), Director, Safety and Technical Policy, For Honourable Minister of State (Aviation), where it emphasized that the said Osubi Airstrip is privately owned, and as such they would not want to come in. However, we reiterated that, while we aware that the Osubi Airstrip was privately-owned by Shell (SPDC) before it was novated and currently operated by Shoreline Oil Service Company Limited; that does not mean that the Federal Government cannot come in to change the statuesque and do the needful in the interest of the Nigerian populace. Let us reiterate here that when Shell (SPDC) divested their oil and gas assets/facilities in Delta State, they only novated their own interest in the Joint Venture (JV) to the new private Operators. But as we know, the Federal Government (FG), through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has the ‘lion share’ (55%) of the JV operations. As such, it is expected that FG/NNPC should equally take the greater responsibilities and funding of JV operations in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
We also believe what makes any Government and its agencies ‘relevant to the people’ they are meant to ‘serve’, is when such a Government and its agencies are able to take/initiate steps and actions that will primarily benefit the citizenry. So, the fact that the said Osubi Airstrip is privately-owned and currently operated by a private oil company, that does not mean such a statuesque should remain, especially when such a statuesque is adversely affecting the interest of the people. That means, since the said Osubi Airstrip is currently being underutilized as a result of its runway, then it is expected that the FG/NNPC should do something about it as requested, especially when the supposed ‘statuesque’ is not benefitting air travelers and airline operators who would like to be using the said Osubi Airport. like we said before, Deltans and Nigerians living and working in Warri and environs are being made to drive/travel all the way to other States, just to catch flights to Lagos and Abuja, all because the runway of the Osubi Airstrip near Warri is not big enough to accommodate big commercial aircrafts.
It is also evident to note that Shoreline Oil Service Company Ltd, as the current operators of the said Osubi Airstrip, is not constitutionally obligated to do anything to accommodate the ‘increasing commercial’ patronage of the said Airstrip. But the FG/NNPC cannot allow this ‘unhealthy statuesque to remain’.
Looking at a brief history of the said Osubi Airstrip, it was in 1975 when the Federal Government acquired a site at Osubi to build an Airport. However, the project did not see the light of day. Several years later, a consortium of oil/gas companies, including Shell (SPDC), decided to build a modern airstrip on the same site. But when irreconcilable differences arose between the potential partners, the NNPC/Shell/Elf/Agip Joint Venture Partners, decided to do it alone. A total of 1190 hectares of land was previously gazetted for acquisition by the Federal Government in 1975 for the development of a new Airport. However, due to funding constraints, the proposal was dropped from further consideration. As Shell (SPDC) became the sole participant, a smaller landmass (approximately 1078 hectares) was acquired, and the company single-handedly built the now Osubi Airstrip with the acquired land, also kept in view of the future needs of other interested parties. In other words, the original intent of the Federal Government in Osubi was to build a Standard Airport that would be ‘commercially attractive’ for Airline operators to patronize.
The Osubi Airstrip is about 1,800meters as against the normal length of about 3,000meters for most (domestic) airports in Nigeria. For example, the length of the runway of the Benin Airport is 3,609meters which is twice the length of the Osubi Airstrip runway. The small length of the runway of Osubi Airstrip means that ‘only small aircrafts’ (not exceeding 50-passenger capacity such as the DASH or the Donier) can land and take off from the Airstrip. The land for the said expansion is already there, as acquired by Shell (SPDC), for the Federal Government to use for the Airport’s expansion/upgrade. So, what exactly is the reason why the Federal Government has refused to do the needful in this regard? By not giving the Osubi-Warri Airstrip the attention it needs as regards the expansion/upgrade, it is a sign of entrenching economic backwardness for the State. There is need for the existence of a standard Airport around the Warri axis, which is considered as the most commercial nerve center of Delta State.
Depriving the people of Delta State of gaining from such venture, and deliberately ignoring all calls/appeals/requests for the expansion/upgrade of the Osubi Airstrip to a standard Airport, is not a good way for any government to lead its people, neither does it paint a good image of the Federal Government. The Federal Government has been talking about developing the nation’s economy away from Oil and Gas dependence, but how can this be when the basic infrastructure like a standard Airport around commercially viable cities like Warri and environs, is not in existence? A standard Airport around the Warri axis is a basic infrastructure that should not be undermined.
The fact is that there is urgent need for the Federal Government to set aside a budget for the expansion and upgrade of the Osubi Airstrip to a Standard Airport so as to boost the economy of the State, and by extension improves the economic image of the country. A modern Standard Airport is a necessity for any growing economy across the world.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes
With regards to the subject matter, firstly, we consider it appalling that big commercial airline operators in the country like Arik Air and Aero Contractors, are yet to resume their complete weekly fights schedule (from Monday – Sunday), at the Osubi Airstrip near Warri, Delta State, just like we have them in other airports across the country. Why are there no flights on Sundays from the Osubi Airstrip? This situation has forced flight passengers in Warri to travel to other States just to board a flight to either Lagos or Abuja. This situation is not good for Delta State because Warri is the commercial nerve center and the economic livewire of the State. As such, it deserves an operational full-fledged standard airport. What is more appalling is the fact that since the divestment and exit of Shell (SPDC) from Delta State, the Osubi Airstrip has become a shadow of itself, as its maintenance is completely neglected by the new Operators. Even some of the facilities at the said Osubi Airstrip are becoming obsolete. This was not the case when Shell (SPDC) was operating/managing the Airstrip.
For instance, the cooling systems in the Osubi Airstrip at the Arrival and Departure Halls are not working, in fact, the entire facilities of the said Airstrip need urgent maintenance attention. The saddest part is that Toll Gates have been mounted at the entrance of the Osubi Airstrip, hence, every vehicle going into the Airstrip to pick-up or drop flight passengers, are made to pay a toll fare. While small vehicles like Saloons are made to pay a toll of N100, bigger vehicles like Jeeps are made to pay a toll of N200 flat. The question now is, what exactly are the Operators of the Airstrip doing with all that revenue gotten from the said Osubi Airstrip Toll Gates? The said money collected at these Toll Gates are obviously not being used for the maintenance of the Osubi Airstrip. That means, aside this stated problem of lack of maintenance, the Osubi Airstrip also needs to be upgraded to a Standard Airport. And since Shoreline Oil Service Company Ltd, as the new Operators of the Osubi Airstrip, is not running the Airstrip as expected, it is therefore left for the Federal Government to come take it over without delay.
We have repeated severally that the ‘strategic location’ of the Osubi Airstrip, near the oil city of Warri and environs, has made it ‘a favorite’ for Nigerians in Delta State and beyond. Hence, the general increasing desires to have it developed to a standard Airport to accommodate bigger aircrafts for more patronage. The major work that is required of the Government here is to ‘increase the size of the Osubi Airstrip runway’ so that large aircrafts can land at the Airstrip that will be turned into a standard Airport. This will result in economies of scale, reduce air fares and increase the number of flights and passengers. There are sensitive oil and gas assets and operations in Warri and environs like the Shell (SPDC) Forcados Terminal, Shell Industrial Area (IA) Ogunu-Warri, the Warri Refinery and Petro-Chemical, Naval Base, Army Barracks, Air Force Base, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), Delta Steel Company (DSC), Ughelli Pump Station (UPS), Delta Power Stations, Ogorode Power Station, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Chevron Escravos Tank Farm and Terminal, all branches of Nigerian Commercial banks in Effurun/Warri, Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), the Utorogu Gas Plant and Utorogu NAG-2 (DomGas Plant) Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), etc, which make these areas very ‘active with business, commercial activities’ and movement of people by air.
Though, we have made several calls and appeals, for quite some years now and still counting, to the Nigerian Federal Government, expressing the need for them, now under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, to embark on the expansion/upgrade of the runway and other facilities of the Osubi Airstrip near Warri in Delta State, to make it a Standard Airport that will accommodate bigger Aircrafts, which will make it more commercially viable for Airline Operators patronage; we are surprised that up till now, the Presidency has not moved a muscle to consider this very important project.
We only got a response on the subject matter in a letter dated 9th May, 2018, signed by T. Alkali (Capt.), Director, Safety and Technical Policy, For Honourable Minister of State (Aviation), where it emphasized that the said Osubi Airstrip is privately owned, and as such they would not want to come in. However, we reiterated that, while we aware that the Osubi Airstrip was privately-owned by Shell (SPDC) before it was novated and currently operated by Shoreline Oil Service Company Limited; that does not mean that the Federal Government cannot come in to change the statuesque and do the needful in the interest of the Nigerian populace. Let us reiterate here that when Shell (SPDC) divested their oil and gas assets/facilities in Delta State, they only novated their own interest in the Joint Venture (JV) to the new private Operators. But as we know, the Federal Government (FG), through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has the ‘lion share’ (55%) of the JV operations. As such, it is expected that FG/NNPC should equally take the greater responsibilities and funding of JV operations in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
We also believe what makes any Government and its agencies ‘relevant to the people’ they are meant to ‘serve’, is when such a Government and its agencies are able to take/initiate steps and actions that will primarily benefit the citizenry. So, the fact that the said Osubi Airstrip is privately-owned and currently operated by a private oil company, that does not mean such a statuesque should remain, especially when such a statuesque is adversely affecting the interest of the people. That means, since the said Osubi Airstrip is currently being underutilized as a result of its runway, then it is expected that the FG/NNPC should do something about it as requested, especially when the supposed ‘statuesque’ is not benefitting air travelers and airline operators who would like to be using the said Osubi Airport. like we said before, Deltans and Nigerians living and working in Warri and environs are being made to drive/travel all the way to other States, just to catch flights to Lagos and Abuja, all because the runway of the Osubi Airstrip near Warri is not big enough to accommodate big commercial aircrafts.
It is also evident to note that Shoreline Oil Service Company Ltd, as the current operators of the said Osubi Airstrip, is not constitutionally obligated to do anything to accommodate the ‘increasing commercial’ patronage of the said Airstrip. But the FG/NNPC cannot allow this ‘unhealthy statuesque to remain’.
Looking at a brief history of the said Osubi Airstrip, it was in 1975 when the Federal Government acquired a site at Osubi to build an Airport. However, the project did not see the light of day. Several years later, a consortium of oil/gas companies, including Shell (SPDC), decided to build a modern airstrip on the same site. But when irreconcilable differences arose between the potential partners, the NNPC/Shell/Elf/Agip Joint Venture Partners, decided to do it alone. A total of 1190 hectares of land was previously gazetted for acquisition by the Federal Government in 1975 for the development of a new Airport. However, due to funding constraints, the proposal was dropped from further consideration. As Shell (SPDC) became the sole participant, a smaller landmass (approximately 1078 hectares) was acquired, and the company single-handedly built the now Osubi Airstrip with the acquired land, also kept in view of the future needs of other interested parties. In other words, the original intent of the Federal Government in Osubi was to build a Standard Airport that would be ‘commercially attractive’ for Airline operators to patronize.
The Osubi Airstrip is about 1,800meters as against the normal length of about 3,000meters for most (domestic) airports in Nigeria. For example, the length of the runway of the Benin Airport is 3,609meters which is twice the length of the Osubi Airstrip runway. The small length of the runway of Osubi Airstrip means that ‘only small aircrafts’ (not exceeding 50-passenger capacity such as the DASH or the Donier) can land and take off from the Airstrip. The land for the said expansion is already there, as acquired by Shell (SPDC), for the Federal Government to use for the Airport’s expansion/upgrade. So, what exactly is the reason why the Federal Government has refused to do the needful in this regard? By not giving the Osubi-Warri Airstrip the attention it needs as regards the expansion/upgrade, it is a sign of entrenching economic backwardness for the State. There is need for the existence of a standard Airport around the Warri axis, which is considered as the most commercial nerve center of Delta State.
Depriving the people of Delta State of gaining from such venture, and deliberately ignoring all calls/appeals/requests for the expansion/upgrade of the Osubi Airstrip to a standard Airport, is not a good way for any government to lead its people, neither does it paint a good image of the Federal Government. The Federal Government has been talking about developing the nation’s economy away from Oil and Gas dependence, but how can this be when the basic infrastructure like a standard Airport around commercially viable cities like Warri and environs, is not in existence? A standard Airport around the Warri axis is a basic infrastructure that should not be undermined.
The fact is that there is urgent need for the Federal Government to set aside a budget for the expansion and upgrade of the Osubi Airstrip to a Standard Airport so as to boost the economy of the State, and by extension improves the economic image of the country. A modern Standard Airport is a necessity for any growing economy across the world.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes