Video: Keyamo claims FG will redevelop Lagos airport terminals with no foreign loan
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Fetus Keyamo, , on Sunday took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify the Federal Executive Council’s recent approval regarding the redevelopment plans for Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMI) in Lagos.
Keyamo explained, “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 under President Tinubu—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.”
Concluding, Keyamo encouraged Nigerians to research global airport construction costs and praised the Bureau for Public Procurement, saying it “did a fantastic job for the nation” in scrutinizing and fixing the cost for the project.
The Ministry also produced an explanatory video outlining the redevelopment plans to enhance public understanding.
