By Janefrances Chibuzor
Umuahia, Abia State – The Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, has announced that his administration is building an ambitious Airport City to serve as the commercial and aviation hub for the South East region. The governor disclosed this while receiving a high-level delegation from Skymaster Group, a private aviation firm with operations in Nigeria and Italy, which is proposing a partnership with the state to deliver aviation services within the planned Abia Airport City.
According to Governor Otti, construction work on the Abia Airport runway is currently underway and progressing steadily. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering a world-class international airport that would not only meet the expectations of Abians but also stand as a symbol of national pride.
“This Airport City is a central part of our vision to transform the economy of Abia and the South East. The idea is to create a comprehensive ecosystem where aviation, commerce, logistics, and hospitality will converge to drive regional growth,” the governor said during the meeting held at Government House, Umuahia.
While acknowledging the areas of alignment between the government’s blueprint and the proposals presented by Skymaster Group, Governor Otti noted that several of the services highlighted by the company have already been integrated into the ongoing airport project. Nevertheless, he assured the visiting delegation that the state’s technical team would engage further with Skymaster on specific aspects of their presentation, especially in areas requiring deeper technical collaboration.
The delegation was led by Prince William Ogbonna, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Skymaster Aviation Services Company. In his address, Prince Ogbonna explained that Skymaster is currently offering aviation services in Port Harcourt and Lagos and also operates international routes into Milan, Italy. He expressed the company’s interest in playing a key role in the development of aviation infrastructure and services in Abia through a public-private partnership model.
“We are looking to partner with the state government under a public-private agreement to deliver air services, particularly targeting regional flight operations into Abia,” he said. “We are already working closely with Aero Contractors, a prominent player in Nigeria’s aviation sector. Our intention is to focus not just on domestic air services but to develop connectivity to the West African subregion and eventually, international routes.”
Prince Ogbonna stressed that until the Abia Airport becomes fully operational and attains the required traffic levels, Skymaster will leverage the existing infrastructure in nearby airports such as Port Harcourt and Owerri to support flight operations and gradually build the necessary traffic to sustain the Abia Airport.
Also present at the meeting were the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, Commissioners, Special Adviser to the Governor on Lands and Housing, and the Coordinator of the Abia Airport Project, Pastor Okorougo Aji, along with other top government officials.
Governor Otti’s Airport City initiative is expected to be one of the cornerstone projects of his administration, positioning Abia State as a strategic player in Nigeria’s aviation and logistics landscape while attracting investment, creating employment, and facilitating regional integration.
