The Consultant handling the new Terminal building at Victor Attah International Airport said that the project would be completed and inaugurated by the first quarter of 2023 before the handing-over date of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Briefing newsmen in Uyo on Thursday Engr Francis Uwah said the project is at various stages of completion.
He said work at the facility which is been handled by VKS Construction Company has reached an advanced stage.
Uwah while assessing the extent of work done disclosed that the terminal building which will be fully automated upon completion would make the Victor Attah International Airport a regional hub, boost tourism and impact positively on the State’s economy.
According to the consultant, the terminal building is expected to process yearly passenger traffic of one million.
He explained that the construction firm was working assiduously to fix necessary equipment at the building preparatory to the targeted delivery date.
He noted some key features of the unique International Smart Terminal Building include digital self-check-in by a robot, pre-planned before Covid-19, automated luggage screening and weighing, video/scene analytics and static object detection of suspicious packages.
Other facilities include foot traffic analysis, queue detection, facial recognition, traffic monitoring incident analysis, vehicle counting, license plate readers, moisture control technology (Damp Proofing) for hot seasons, new technologies and best practices involving synchronized motors, regeneration converters, control software, optimization of counterweights and cabin lighting yield significant savings among others.
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Conducting newsmen round the facility during the inspection tour, the Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Research and Documentation, Mr Essien Ndueso described the smart terminal building project as a signpost of the Governor’s commitment to the development of the state.
The Governor’s aide maintained that the project commenced in 2018 with its progress hampered by the 2020 – 2021 global lockdown occasioned by the Covid19 pandemic, and expressed happiness with the Governor for keeping faith with the completion of the aviation furniture.
He said the project would have earned commendations from Akwa Ibom indigenes if it was constructed anywhere else in Nigeria, adding that because of petty politics of lies and deceits, certain political elements sponsor smear campaigns against the Governor to undermine his accomplishments in office.
“Others outside the State appreciate this Governor and wish he was their own, but our people are the ones deriding him on several media pages”, Ndueso said.
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