Male’ International Airport to be named after President Nasir

Minister of Transport and Communication, Mohamed Adhil Saleem has said that the government has decided to rename the Male’ International Airport after Former President Ibrahim Nasir.

Minister Adhil said that the decision was made by the consent of the cabinet. He said that the decision was made because it was President Ibrahim Nasir who directed the building of the first international airport of the Maldives in Hulhule’ island.

“After bringing about the independence of the Maldives from being a protectorate of the British Empire, President’s Nasir’s government directed the building of the first international airport in the Maldives,” Minister Adhil said.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Nasir was a Maldivian politician who served as Prime Minister of the Maldives under Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi from 1957 to 1968 and succeeded him to become the first President of the Second Republic from 1968 to 1978.

He was credited with many other improvements such as introducing an English-based modern curriculum to government-run schools. He brought television and radio to the country with formation of Television Maldives and Radio Maldives for broadcasting radio signals nationwide. He abolished Vaaru, a tax on the people living on islands outside Malé, as well as many other taxes on various imports to the country, some of which have been since re-instated.

President Nasir is also considered as the independence hero of the Maldives.