N712b for MMIA Terminal renovation is a waste – expert

Instead of commiting a whooping sum of N712 billion, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), to the renovation of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal in Lagos, the Federal Government has been advised to embark on the concession of all the airports not renovations.

An aviation expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), gave this advice amidst criticisms against the approved N712 billion for MMIA Terminal renovation, describing it as a waste of the public fund.

But the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barrister Festus Keyamo, has come out to defend the project, saying what government is intended to do is to build a brand-new airport for the nation to meet modern international standards that can also cater for the increased traffic at the airport.

According to Ojikutu, who is the CEO of Centurion Security and Safety Consults, “We have gone through this before in wastage. What the government should do is to concession all the airports non-Aeronautical services and pay attention to its safety and security obligations to the international community and the Nigerian public

“N712bn for airport passengers terminal building rehabilitation not for construction. How much would it have been for a new terminal building of the same capacity? This is an era of extravaganza.

“May be it will include the other airports passengers terminal buildings some of which have been refurbished with the Chinese $500m Loans. ICAO is coming and would not bother about the terminal buildings but the security and safety of the services providers including the airports and airlines.”

Defending the project, the Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister, Festus Keyamo, justified the cost and maintained that it is in tandem with international prices.

He has this to say: To further enunciate our plans for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMI) in Lagos, let me further clarify the approval we secured from the Federal Executive Council Meeting last week.

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. It has two wings known as WING D and WING E. Terminal Two is the new building on the right-hand side as you drive into the airport, started by President Jonathan’s govt. with a Chinese loan, completed during President Buhari’s govt (with the loan) & made operational during President Tinubu’s first one month in office.

Due to years of neglect & because the traffic over time quadrupled beyond its capacity, the building & facilities at Terminal One became totally decrepit. We have been engaged in some patch jobs over the years just to make it a bit presentable. Now, shorn of all the rhetoric, what we simply want to do 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. Both wings D and E would be affected.

As for the new Terminal (Two), we got approval to expand the building and the Apron (where aircraft park for boarding and disembarkation) in order to accommodate more aircraft, including wide-body aircraft. That is not all; we are 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, instead of lifting our luggage up the escalators when we are departing. It is a design error we intend to correct.

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.

In all, Nigerians will be proud of what we are going to deliver. And take note, this will not be done by a loan from anywhere, but by the Renewed Hope infrastructure Development Fund, which is one of the gains made from the removal of subsidies.

Keyamo assured Nigerians that they would be duly informed on the progress of work while the renovation is ongoing.

He said “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. It is part of our national heritage and we should all rightly be interested in the final outcome.

“I will also encourage our compatriots to simply google the cost of most modern airports built around the world in the last few years (including those in Africa like Angola, etc) and you will agree with me that the Bureau for Public Procurement that scrutinised and fixed the final cost of this project did a fantastic job for the nation.

“And as a final word, it is important to tell Nigerians that we also have brand new Terminals in Kano, Abuja & Port-Harcourt. However, presently, they are all underutilised due to the traffic that is less than thirty percent of their capacities.

“For further explanation and transparency, we have produced a video (which I attach hereunder) that graphically explains the proposed works upon which we are embarking. I hope you find it useful.”