Agitations against planned movement of ARFF from the North
- Katsina City News
- 21 Jan, 2024
- 702
By Danjuma Katsina @Katsina Times
There is rising agitation in Katsina state and the north in general as the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Katsina is being relocated out of the North.
Especially at the present time when vital Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Departments have been moved out of the North from Abuja to Lagos and also the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is equally moving to Lagos. Now the door is like open for other national projects situated in the North for the development of the North to be moved out of the North.
This obviously has gross sectional and political undertone as it is sending a wrong message that there is deliberate intention to reduce the potentials of the region.
The relocation is claimed to be due to technical problems itemized by the company that include among others, transportation, personnel, financial consideration and others. Whereas all those things have been take care of when the contract was awarded back in 2022.
However, the project which is meant to be conducted in Katsina will affect, not only those employed within the immediate environment, but also the industrial growth and economy of the state.
In a letter addressed to the office of the Minister of Aviation and Airspace Development, dated 4th December 2023, and signed by one George Eder, Managing Director CEO, AVSTEL Communications Limited, he complained of lack of trained personnel to run the project in the North.
This plan to move the ARFF from the north is more of adding salt to injury considering the current situations especially the laying off of workers and reducing the industrial strength of a developing state.
The training of personnel to handle the ARFF should be better for the country, as it will address the issue of capacity building and increase human resources up North.
Hence it is definitely a wrong motion to consider the training of personnel as a problem. The project is awarded for the supply of tools and training of personnel which the company had accepted based on 50 years of experience which everyone would believe had trained several personnel as a result. Why trying to revert to location you claim had already trained personnel on ground instead of training new ones?
Also, the letter was bias in it suggestion that there is distance between the port areas to the north. This is unimaginable. There are inland dry ports owned by both public and private arrangements in the North including Funtu, Katsina state.
Hence, it is not enough reason that the project be moved away from the north to the south unless there are underlying tendencies attached.
The Minister is therefore called upon to disregard this proposal to remove the project from the North. This will only lead to denting the image of the government in the North.
Katsina Times
@www.katsinatimes.com
Jaridar Taskar labarai
@ www.jaridartaskarlabarai.com
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