Afrigather 
The Federal Authorities’s determination to rename the Port Harcourt Worldwide Airport in Omagwa close to Port Harcourt to Chief Obafemi Awolowo Worldwide Airport has acquired the backing of a former governor of Rivers State, Celestine Omehia.
The previous governor, who fell out of grace with the instant previous governor, Nyesom Wike, has backed the Federal Authorities towards murmurs from his folks that the airport was not named after any son or daughter of the Niger Delta.
Omehia instructed newsmen on the airport in Port Harcourt that solely the Federal Authorities has the only real proper to rename any airport within the nation.
The one-time governor made the remark whereas answering questions from journalists on the airport.
The previous Federal Authorities of Nigeria below President Muhammadu Buhari introduced the renaming of a number of airports within the nation after outstanding Nigerians, shortly earlier than he left workplace.
One of many affected airports was the Port Harcourt Worldwide Airport, Omagwa, now to be referred to as Obafemi Awolowo Worldwide Airport, Port Harcourt.
Based on Omehia who answered questions on the swift change and on why there was no outstanding particular person from the Niger Delta named after any of the airports within the nation, solely the Federal Authorities has the only real proper to impact any change within the names of any of the airports within the nation.
The airports, he famous, belong to the Federal Authorities and that solely Federal Authorities has the appropriate to rename them to whom it deems match like that of the late Awolowo.
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The Nigerian nation, he famous, is working on a federal system and never a regional one. He thus mentioned any particular person might be nominated from any a part of the nation to bear the identify of any of the airports in any a part of the nation.
The previous governor cited examples of the Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Worldwide Airport in Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed Worldwide at Lagos.
Based on him, nobody for now is aware of the yardstick with which the Federal Authorities renamed the airports and the Niger Delta individuals haven’t any alternative for now however to simply accept it.
On the selection of Awolowo, the previous governor famous that the late chief had been a nationalist proper from the colonial days to the day he handed on. Omehia referred to as him an establishment within the nation.
He referred to as on the Niger Delta individuals to, of their knowledge, make efforts to construct their very own individuals so that they might be recognised in future and never destroy them.
“Most individuals within the Niger Delta nonetheless kill or destroy our individuals. We must always construct them in order that the nation can recognise them as establishments. We don’t have any alternative now however to bear it.”
