Keyamo Defends ₦712bn Airport Overhaul: “We’re Tearing it Down

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has justified the Federal Government’s decision to spend ₦712 billion on the overhaul of Terminal One at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, insisting the project is critical to modernizing the nation’s aviation infrastructure.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the minister said the terminal—built over 40 years ago—has deteriorated beyond repair and no longer meets international standards.

“The roof of the airport is leaking; the place is decrepit and smelly. You see people selling Indomie and all kinds of kiosks erected there. The ceilings are failing, and the carousels are not working because their parts are not in the market anymore,” he said.

The ₦712 billion approval has attracted criticism from various quarters, with many Nigerians expressing frustration over what they view as misplaced priorities amid the country’s ongoing economic hardship. The removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of exchange rates have triggered historic inflation and cost-of-living spikes, leaving millions struggling.

But Keyamo clarified that the project is not coming from the regular budget, but from the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund—a special financing initiative created to channel savings from subsidy removal into major capital projects.

“This government promised Nigerians major infrastructural upgrades across Nigeria, from the savings we are having now from the subsidy removal and the floating of the naira,” he said, noting that the project will be completed within 22 months.

According to the minister, the decaying state of the terminal has become a risk to international flight operations. Without urgent intervention, he warned, foreign airlines may begin withdrawing from the country.

“Without this, some international airlines will threaten to stop flight to your country when you don’t have a good airport, a good runway, because it affects insurance… the insurance will go up because they will say that place is not safe to fly to,” Keyamo explained.

He argued that the planned reconstruction will position Lagos as a competitive aviation hub in Africa, comparable to those in South Africa and Ethiopia.

“As it is today, you cannot land in Lagos (local airport) and try to connect to an international flight, maybe to Ghana… Lagos is not a hub, but that was the plan in 1977 when it was designed and in 1979 when it was commissioned. You cannot process one passenger from one terminal to another, so that has stunted the growth of aviation,” he said.

Keyamo emphasized that this is not a renovation but a complete overhaul of the structure.

“What we are trying to do in Lagos now is to make Lagos a very modern airport and create a proper hub to begin to compete with other hubs in Africa… So, we want to completely pull down Terminal One. It is not a refurbishment; we are tearing it down, only the pillars will remain, the carcass, the decking. Everything will go, and they are going to redesign now.”