The approval of N712.24 billion by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the overhaul of Terminal One, apron expansion, runway lighting and perimeter security of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos has sparked significant controversy and criticism.
Those behind the initiative said it is the largest single airport renovation contract in Nigeria's history. The MMIA Terminal One was built in 1978 and officially opened in March, 1979 and has undergone some renovations over the years.
Currently, it handles over 70 per cent of the passenger traffic in Nigeria.
The Terminal One approval also came alongside other rehabilitation projects, including the N44.13 billion CAT 2 LED lighting upgrade, N24.27 billion apron area expansion and the N49.9 billion perimeter fence with CCTV, solar lights and intrusion detection contracts, all at MMIA Lagos. Others approved include the N46.39 billion contract for runway and taxiway rehabilitation, CAT 2 lighting upgrade at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano and N42.14 contract for runway and taxiway upgrades and CAT 2 lighting installation at Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.
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The rumpus over the MMIA Lagos contract was such that aviation stakeholders and the political opposition queried the cost, scale and timing as it is amid the nation's economic hardship.
We at Daily Trust are not opposed to the idea of bequeathing a much more vibrant, convenient, and world-class airport to Nigeria, but we have issues with its being a national priority while millions of Nigerians face the threat of hunger. We will never support any project that looks as luxury for a nation battling with infrastructure deficits in the education, health, road and other sectors.
We are also worried that there was absence of transparent public advertisement or bidding for the project. Daily Trust therefore urges the federal government to come clean and publish a detailed cost breakdown and scope of work to address concerns about inflated budgets so as to build trust.
Moreover, the issue of due process is worrisome as the project was not known to have been approved by the National Assembly, after all, the N712 billion renovation contract was not captured in the 2025 budget of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, which is just N71,123,368,069.
In addition, we call on the federal government to explore the possibility of executing the project in phases because of the amount involved so as to tackle the welfare needs of Nigerians. This is also most important as the full utilisation of available facilities including the Terminal Two of the MMIA commissioned on March 22, 2022 by late President Muhammadu Buhari is in doubt.
The Terminal Two renovation, carried out in order to decongest the old Terminal One, was executed from the $500 million loan secured by Nigeria from China Exim Bank, supplemented by $100 million counterpart by the Federal Government, to upgrade five international airports: Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu. Meanwhile, the new terminal, designed to process 14 million passengers in a year, only handled 6.5 million passengers in 2024, less than half of its capacity. We believe that Nigeria should not embark on another costly renovation is one swoop when recent upgrades seem underutilised.
We also call on the federal government to explore concession and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement in revamping and management of the nation's airports. After all, in October 2022, the federal government had announced the preferred bidder for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano under the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase of the Nigeria Airports Concession Programme (NACP).
In the same vein, aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, had initially reintroduced plans to concession five international airports countrywide - NAIA, Abuja; MMIA Lagos; Port Harcourt International Airport; Aminu Kano International Airport; and the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. But of the four, only the Enugu airport is being concessioned. We call on the federal government to complete the concessioning of the other international airports located in Lagos Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
While we call for concerted efforts are made to uplift the busiest airport in the country to align Nigeria's aviation infrastructure with global standards, this must not be made to seem as insensitive and misplaced priority when majority of Nigerians are struggling every day to feed and meet other basic necessities of life.
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Yes, the federal government has pushed the reality that the project is essential for national image, tourism, and foreign investment and would transform MMIA into a West African aviation hub, competing with cities like Addis Ababa and Casablanca, through modernization of infrastructure to handle increased traffic and improve passenger experience. But the welfare of Nigerians should be more a priority. After all, this is what the government's Nigeria First policy is all about. Moreover, majority of the citizens are yet to buy-in on how this project aligns with broad economic goals that benefits them directly.
Every project by any government in Nigeria should deliver value without alienating citizens while maintaining trust and fiscal responsibility. We are not yet convinced that the Terminal One project has done so. We therefore demand careful and phased execution of such projects in line with economic realities.
