Photo: Wikipedia
Nigeria’s government has proposed closing the airport in its capital, Abuja, for six weeks to repair runways that some airlines have described as dangerous.
The government wants to close Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the country’s second busiest, for most of February and March.
Work by German construction company Julius Berger will continue after the airport reopens and is expected to take six months.
Flights would be diverted for six weeks to Kaduna city, which is 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Abuja on a road frequented by bandits.
A government statement Monday says officials will meet stakeholders on Thursday, realizing the “high level of discomfort and inconvenience” the closure of one of West Africa’s busiest airports will cause.
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport serving Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, and is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city.
It was named after Nigeria’s first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
The airport is approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Abuja, and has an international and a domestic terminal that share its single runway.
The Abuja non-directional beacon (Ident: AG) is 1.7 nautical miles (3.1 km) off the threshold of Runway 22.
The Abuja VOR-DME (Ident: ABC) is 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) off the same runway.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
