The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has said the old terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, which was gutted by fire on Monday, will soon be pulled down for reconstruction.
Speaking on Tuesday after inspecting the extent of damage at Terminal One, Keyamo clarified that the affected structure was the old terminal already marked for demolition, not the newly constructed terminal.
Daily Trust reports that a blaze at the old MMIA terminal left six people injured while a crane was deployed to rescue air traffic controllers trapped inside the Control Tower located within the terminal.
Some foreign flights were diverted while the airspace was shut for about an hour before normal flight operations resumed.
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Keyamo, who flew into Lagos late on Monday conducted an inspection of the airport on Monday to ascertain the level of damage.
He noted that although the fire caused significant destruction, including the loss of vital equipment, the building had long been scheduled for demolition and total rehabilitation.
According to him, the incident would only hasten the relocation of airlines and other operators still occupying the facility.
...Nimet equipment completely damaged
The minister lamented the loss of critical weather equipment belonging to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), describing the damage as substantial.
He said the agency's weather office within the terminal was completely razed.
To prevent disruption of meteorological services, Keyamo disclosed that temporary arrangements would be made to move essential equipment to Lagos for continued weather forecasting operations.
He also revealed that several air traffic controllers were trapped during the incident and had to be rescued with the aid of cranes. Despite the scale of the fire, he expressed gratitude that no lives were lost.
Reiterating that the building was nearly 50 years old and had suffered years of neglect and overuse, the minister said contractors are already on site in preparation for demolition and reconstruction. He pointed to ongoing works, including the dismantling of a bridge linking parts of the facility, as evidence that the process had begun.
"This place would have come down anyway," he said, adding that clearing of debris would soon commence once all occupants have fully evacuated.
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Keyamo emphasized that more than 60 percent of international travellers into Nigeria pass through the Lagos airport, making it imperative for the nation's gateway to reflect modern standards and safety.
No sabotage, flights unaffected
The minister ruled out sabotage and declined to speculate on the exact cause of the fire, though he acknowledged preliminary reports suggesting a possible inverter-related issue. He said investigations would determine the cause.
He assured passengers and stakeholders that flight operations would not be disrupted, noting that a temporary control tower is in place to support air traffic services.
Keyamo added that safety would remain the ministry's watchword as reconstruction plans move forward, saying the contractors are already on ground.
He said the contractors were already on site as the pulling down would soon start.
He said, "They are on site already, I'm sure. You have seen that the bridge is down already, this bridge, linking up this part of the river. They are reconstructing the new bridge to the new terminal. They are on site. The CCECC is on site already. We are just waiting for people to evacuate.
"This place would have come down anyway. We are just waiting for people to evacuate. So, this fire actually helps to just, well, not help, but this fire will hasten our movement away from the place. We just want to thank God that there was no single loss of life.
"That is the first gratitude we have to God. In this kind of situation, we first look at the loss of lives, but between you and me, work will start in earnest to start clearing the rubble. And then, of course, it will hasten our process of the reconstruction," he added.
