Airk Air resumes Asaba services, triples Owerri to save Igbos from 60 checkpoints
…As FG fails to dismantle multiple roadblocks as resolved by Reps
Just as the Federal Government, Inspector General of Police and paramilitary agencies have remained silent on why over 60 checkpoints dot the Federal highways from Lagos to Onitsha with only less than 10 between Lagos and Katsina upon the endless security situation in the north, Arik Air weekend announced the resumption of flight services to Asaba Airport in Delta.
Arik Air Chief Executive Officer, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu said in a statement in Lagos that starting from Dec. 18, the airline would be operating daily flights from Lagos to Asaba.
The airline also disclosed that “Similarly, Arik Air, in the spirit of the Yuletide season, will be increasing its frequency from Lagos to Owerri to thrice daily.
“The additional flight will operate at 7:00 a.m. daily in addition to the 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. departures,” he said.
The estimated number of checkpoints between Lagos and Onitsha was recently made public by veteran journalist, Chief Tony Onyima, who counted 60 even as another public affairs analyst, Mr Chuks Iloegbunam on his own, counted 67.
Both researchers expressed worries in their respective reports on why upon the deadly security situation across the north, the highways leading to the region from Lagos has less number of checkpoints that is not comparable to what has been, and is still seen on the Lagos-Onitsha route.
Only last week, the Federal House of Representatives, called on the Inspector General of Police, to dismantle checkpoints along the route, but the motion seemed not to have been heeded as latest checks still showed uncountable roadblocks by virtually all security agencies in Nigeria.
In his reasons for the new Asaba services, Ilegbodu said that the resumption of flights to Asaba was coming at a time when people were looking for seamless travel during the Yuletide.
“The resumption of flights to Asaba is a promise kept as we had assured our esteemed customers that we would be back on the route before the Christmas festivities.
“We once again assure our customers of a high operating safety standard and excellent customer service during the Yuletide and beyond.”
Arik boss further recalled in the statement that “Arik Air’s return to Asaba is nostalgic as the airline was the first to commence commercial flights to Asaba when the airport was inaugurated in 2011.”
