.No recession in Imo, says Okorocha
By Valentine Amanze
Online Editor
A maiden flight of Imo Air owned by the Imo State government, Tuesday, January 24, 2017 landed at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport Owerri with the first set of passengers. Governor Rochas Okorocha, members of the State Executive Council and thousands of Imo people were at the airport to celebrate the feat.
The 140-seater plane with Imo Air written boldly on the body landed at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport from Lagos at exactly 11.42pm, and is being operated for the state by DANA Airline as the state has not got the license to operate a full-blown airline, according to Okorocha.
At the airport the governor said that it was his dream and desire to position Imo State on the fast lane of development, prosperity and growth, adding that he won’t rest until that dream is realized.
Okorocha also said that Imo was not affected by the recession in the country because some people might wonder why the state should dabble into airline business in time of recession.
He disclosed that the state has cleared arrears of pension and has paid salaries upto December 2016, and is about to commence the payment of January salary.
His words: “This is a happy moment in the state. The aim of going into the air business is because I want to drive traffic to Imo State as Imo is genuinely becoming the fastest developing city outside Abuja and Lagos. For this, there is need for more airlines to cushion the effects of high traffic coming to the state.
“Imo government does not have an operating air license. So we needed to partner with a good and qualified airline operator. Hence, the choice of DANA Air because of its proven track record and sincerity of purpose. The Imo Air will be operated by DANA and we have a contract of 10 years with them. We have five of the aircraft and the first one has just landed and four others will start operation in few weeks time.”
The governor explained, “The International Cargo Airport will soon kick-start to supplement the efforts of Imo Air. In our pursuit of making Imo better, Imo International Cargo Airport will soon commence operations. Work is going on smoothly and by April God’s willing the fastest International Cargo Plane will arrive Imo State. This, we believe will help drive up commercial activities in the state. Imo is a hub for business and there is no better place to invest now in Nigeria than Imo State as in spite of the recession the state is still flourishing and progressing because of its visionary leadership.”
He pointed out that Imo Air would have 10 per cent discount to all Imo indigenes flying the plane and the operation would equally employ over 30 per cent of Imo indigenes to help in the management of the Imo Air”.
The DANA AIR Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mbanuzuo Obi, said, “The partnership between DANA and the good people of Imo State will create employment and better working relationship for the state. Imo AIR is in safe hands and the choice of DANA AIR for the partnership is an excellent choice as DANA AIR is registered with International Air Transport Association operations and security treasuring”.
He added that DANA AIR has the best Customer Service Awards for three years running and has also been known to operate one of the top most operational brands in Nigeria. He commended Okorocha for his vision and passion for excellence.
Meanwhile, the governor did not disclose the cost of the aircraft to the tax payers.
Besides, critics said that the governor also failed to disclose whether the aircraft were brand new or fairly used.