Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council just approved ₦712.26 billion for the complete renovation of Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal 1.
The spend includes:
- Stripping Terminal 1 down to its “carcass” and rebuilding it
- New mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
- Runway upgrades: ₦44 billion
- CCTV, LED airfield lights, and a 14.6km perimeter fence: ₦50 billion
- Expansion of Terminal 2 + Aircraft parking
- More billions for upgrades in Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu
With rising inflation, poor healthcare, unpaid salaries, and underfunded schools, spending 712 billion Naira on renovating just one terminal, with no public cost breakdown, no accountability structure in sight, appears to be another case of misplaced priorities. For context, that’s more than it costs to build entire airports in several other countries ($400,000,000 in Egypt, $250,000,000 in Ghana).
This isn’t a new airport, it’s a facelift for Terminal 1. What are the odds this project gets completed in full, on time, and without corners cut or costs inflated? Should over ₦700 billion go into making Lagos airport shinier?
We’ve seen this script before. Nigerians deserve transparency and not just grand announcements.
