Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has dismissed reports making the rounds that the immediate past administration spent about N100bn for the construction of the state Airport.
Describing the claim as “mischievous and evil”, the deputy governor, said contrary to the unfounded reports being bandied about, only N56bn was used in constructing the Airport which is adjudged as one of the best in the country.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo disclosed this at the Airport while receiving the Bayelsa-born conjoined twins who were flown back to the state weekend after a successful surgery at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.
He noted with displeasure that, apart from the erroneous figures, some opposition politicians went about spreading and demarketing the state just to score cheap political goals in the build up to the 2019 governorship election, that the airport was flooded.
According to him, the massive land reclamation and other painstaking efforts invested into the construction of the facility does not only make it flood-free but also boasts of high quality equipment.
“Let me use this opportunity to correct some erroneous figures and reports that are being sponsored by politicians who never mean well for our state. I was the feeble hand God used as Commissioner for Work in the immediate past administration to work with Hon Dickson to construct this Airport.
“What the then state government spent in constructing the Airport in this extremely challenging terrain was N56bn and not the N70 to N120bn that is being bandied about all over the place.
“Before the 2019 elections, one of them even went as far as saying that the Airport was covered by flood just to discredit the Dickson-led PDP government for cheap political gains.
“This is almost the peak of the flood season, but you can all see that there is nothing like water anywhere near our airport that has been adjudged as one of the best in this country.
“It was just a gimmick and they all had the thinking (plan) that they will do anything to win the election, come into this place and then claim that they did something extra to it and then claim the glory of this airport for which Hon Dickson toiled night and day to build for us,” he said.
