Asaba Airport yesterday witnessed yet another development towards attaining international standard when the State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan laid the foundation stone of its cargo section.

So far, over N17 billion has been expended on the airport, which began operation barely two years ago.

At hand to witness the ceremony was the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, who hailed the infrastructural agenda of Governor Uduaghan.

The elated minister, who breezed in from Abuja, said the project, though a Federal Government initiative, fits into the transformational policy of President Goodluck Jonathan, especially the Nigeria Beyond Oil action plan.

According to Oduah, the rate at which Delta State has developed since the advent of democracy in 1999, especially when Governor Uduaghan assumed office in 2007, has been “unprecedented.”

She commended the focused leadership of the governor, assuring him of the Federal Government’s support to move the state forward.

Laying the foundation, Governor Uduaghan said the feat equally falls in line with his plan to make the state assume its place in the country’s tourism and aviation industry.

He said apart from the pride of place the state would assume in due course, numerous job opportunities would be opened to boost his youths empowerment programmes, even as he said it would fast tract the Delta Beyond Oil policy.

Uduaghan urged the people of the state to be patient while the project of transforming the state materialises.

•Photo shows Asaba Airport.