FG to redevelop Lagos airport with fuel subsidy removal gains – Keyamo
Rotimi Favour
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has revealed that the newly approved Lagos airport redevelopment project would be funded with the proceeds of the fuel subsidy removal.
Keyamo made this known on Sunday through a post on his X handle (formerly Twitter) to clarify the approval of the redevelopment plans for Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMI) in Lagos by the Federal Executive Council.
He explained that, “There are two international terminals in Lagos… Terminal One is that old building directly facing the long stretch of road leading to the airport built & commissioned in 1979 by the Obasanjo-led Military regime.”
He described the current condition of Terminal One, stating, “Due to years of neglect & because the traffic over time quadrupled beyond its capacity, the building & facilities at Terminal One became totally decrepit.” The plan is to “totally strip down that building, including the entire roof (leaving only the carcass), then re design/reconfigure it & build a brand-new airport for the nation to meet modern, international standards that can also cater for the increased traffic.”
Regarding Terminal Two—the newer terminal built with a Chinese loan during the administrations of Presidents Jonathan and Buhari and opened one month after President Tinubu’s resumption —Keyamo announced approval to “expand the building and the Apron… to accommodate more aircraft, including wide-body aircraft.”
Additional infrastructure works include “constructing two new independent ring roads in and out of the airport (one for departure and one for arrival) and a bridge that will take travellers directly to the upper floor of Terminal Two Departure lounge… It is a design error we intend to correct.”
The minister further emphasised modernisation efforts, ““We have also introduced smart solutions to the new designs in order to deliver a smart airport to Nigerians that can compete with any airport in the world.”
He assured Nigerians that the project would not rely on foreign loans but be funded domestically through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, “one of the gains made from the removal of subsidies.”
Highlighting transparency and public engagement, Keyamo pledged, “As the work progresses, we will be inviting the Press, Civil Society groups, members of the National Assembly and interested Nigerians on regular tours of the facility to monitor the extent and quality of work.”
He also noted the existence of other modern terminals in Kano, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, pointing out that these are “underutilised due to the traffic that is less than thirty percent of their capacities.”
Keyamo welcomed constructive criticism by encouraging Nigerians to research global airport construction costs while praising the Bureau for Public Procurement that scrutinised and fixed the final cost of the project, saying “it did a fantastic job for the nation”.
The Ministry also produced an explanatory video outlining the redevelopment plans to enhance public understanding.
