FG clarifies ₦712.3bn Lagos airport upgrade

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended the Federal Government’s ₦712.3 billion approval for the reconstruction and expansion of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, amid growing public scrutiny.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Keyamo described the project as a critical and long-overdue investment aimed at modernizing the country’s busiest international gateway. He emphasized that the massive upgrade would not be funded by loans but through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.

“This will not be done with loans from anywhere,” Keyamo said. “It’s part of the gains from the removal of subsidies.”

He explained that the project will cover a full overhaul of Terminal One — the older terminal commissioned in 1979 — along with an expansion of Terminal Two, which was initiated under President Jonathan, completed under President Buhari, and made operational during President Tinubu’s administration.

According to him, Terminal One would be stripped down to its carcass and redesigned to meet international standards. The reconstruction will affect both Wings D and E.

Terminal Two, Keyamo noted, will be expanded to accommodate more and larger aircraft, with apron upgrades and the construction of two ring roads and a bridge to improve access to the departure area.

Highlighting the transparency of the project, the minister assured that the public would be kept informed. “We will invite the media, civil society groups, lawmakers, and interested Nigerians on regular facility tours to monitor progress and quality,” he said.

He further noted that the Bureau of Public Procurement had thoroughly vetted and approved the project’s final cost, urging Nigerians to compare it with similar international airport upgrades globally.

“Nigerians will be proud of what we are going to deliver,” Keyamo concluded.