Kano — The Federal Government has commenced construction of a new control tower at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, as part of its efforts to upgrade the national airport, which is costing the government Euros 68.6 million and expected to be completed by December 2009.

Aviation Minister, Mr. Babatunde Omotoba, who disclosed this while addressing reporters at the Airport, added that the contractor had been fully mobilised.

Omotoba, who said the old control tower was built in 1957 and since then, no government had considered it necessary to replace it until now, assured that the domestic terminal at the airport whose construction commenced 10 years ago, is now being completed as work had reached 95 per cent completion.

He blamed the earlier contractors who handled the projects for the delay, saying so far , government had spent over N300 million on the domestic terminal.

He disclosed that before December this year, the Nigerian airspace would have been covered by radar facilities, as efforts had reached advanced stage to provide all Nigerian major airports with radar coverage.

According to him, the radar projects at Abuja and Murtala Muhammad International Airport, have since been completed, while those of Kano and Port Harcourt will be completed before December this year.

Omotoba said the primary radar projects are those located in Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt airports, while the secondary ones are those at Talata Mafara, Ilorin, Maiduguri, Yola and other locations, adding that the National Radar Project, is being handled by a foreign firm.