Senator  Hadi Sirika, Minister of State for Aviation, has said that the relocation of operations of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to Kaduna would cost over N1.1 billion. This includes the cost of relocating agencies relevant to aviation operations from Abuja to Kaduna. But the cost exclude the huge losses the nation would incur through individual losses, drop in patronage of airlines, security risk cost, loss due to redundancy commuting on the road between Abuja and Kaduna and vice versa, among others.

The minister disclosed this while briefing the senate on the logistics implication of the relocation, stressing  that the ministry had taken into account relevant agencies that would be deployed to facilitate the relocation. The minister’s argument meant he has foreclosed every argument against total shut down of the Abuja airport.

Briefing the senators on Tuesday, Sirika said that the relocation will gulp N1.134 billion broken down as follows:  Nigerian Railway Corporation to gulp N100,326,400, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) will take N237,247,216.21 while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) will take up N325,000,000; ; Nigerian Police Force N358,517,700 billion, and the Nigeria Immigration Service N29 million.

The ministry is also going to hire the buses of the Federal Ministry of Transportation for N84 million naira which brings the total figure to N1.134 billion. The Abuja Airport is expected to be closed for six weeks from March 8.

The minister appears bent on having his way against public outcry against total closure of the airport.