By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The approval of 712 billion Naira (approximately $465m) for the refurbishment of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in the Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos, is a prudent expenditure, the country’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has argued, faulting commentators who have argued that the cost is over-bloated amid economic misfortunes of citizens in the oil-rich but impoverished West African nation.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) the highest honour for legal professionals, claims that other countries of the world spent higher amount of money for the same purpose, accusing critics of ignorance.
“Airports are being refurbished across the world, the lowest is about $1 billion. In Africa, Angola is (worth) $3.5 billion. South Africa N1.2 billion. Ethiopia $7.8 billion. Cambodia is $1.5 billion. Guess what ours is $400million, less than half a billion dollars,” Keyamo said in a televised interview on Monday night.
He said the rehabilitation is in fulfillment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise of infrastructure overall from savings made in removal of fuel subsidy and Naira floating, dual economic policies blamed for escalating cost of living and depreciation in the value of the local currency, Naira.
Defending the cost of rehabilitation of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), he said the airport is “decrepit and outdated,” lamenting the persistent infrastructure failures that have embarrassed the nation.
“The roof is leaking, the carousels are obsolete, ceilings are collapsing. The entire structure is in a state of decay,” he said.
The Minister explained that the project involves the complete reconstruction of Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 will be redesigned to correct structural deficiencies.
He stressed that the airport would be upgraded into a smart hub with features like a unified security screening system, seamless transit facilities, and improved access infrastructure.
“JFK in New York is over $9 billion. Our project is less than $500 million. It is a steal,” he said in defence of rehabilitation cost.
“The figures were not set by the Ministry. The BPP (Bureau of Public Procurement) reviewed and approved the cost after rigorous evaluation,” he added.
The Criticisms
Stakeholders in the aviation sector, including the opposition have faulted the approval of 712 billion Naira for the MMIA refurbishment.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) alleged that it was troubling that “this massive expenditure approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on July 31, 2025, has not received any backing from the National Assembly and it is not in any of the approved budget…”
“It is hard to understand how expending ₦712 billion into renovating an airport that already received significant upgrades in recent years makes fiscal sense in a country where public universities wallow in chronic austerity, where basic medical care, has become a luxury that only the rich can afford, where millions of Nigerians have been thrown into poverty as a result of government’s ill-conceived policies. The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos remains functional and serviceable”, the party says.
Checks by Heritage Times HT indicate that the amount approved by Federal Executive Council was not captured in the 2025 budget of the Ministry of Aviation. It was also discovered that the total budget of the ministry for 2025 was just N71,123,368,069, implying that the approved cost of the contract is more than 10 times the budget of the ministry for 2025.
Questions have also been raised on whether the National Assembly approved the planned spending of N712 billion on the rehabilitation of the Lagos airport terminal, casting a burden of transparency and due process.
Recent Investments in Airports Across Africa
African nations and government have in recent times shown obligations to improve the services at airports to drive more passengers. This is anchored on the move to rebrand and improve perceptions, on the ground that airports are the first touchpoint for many visitors to many countries.
A breakdown of recent rehabilitation works across Africa indicate that Angola spent $3.550bn in 2023 for reconstruction of Angola Airport, while Rwanda is considering to spend the sum of $2bn for the rehabilitation of Bugesara Airport next year.
In Uganda, authorities spent $480m for the rehabilitation of phase 1 of Entebbe Airport, while the Robert Mugabe Airport in Zimbabwe gulped $153m.
Keyamo had argued that Nigeria’s $470 million airport renovation is modest when measured against similar projects worldwide. “So we’re not comparing oranges and apples. It’s orange and orange. Airports have been refurbished across the world. The lowest is about $1 billion. And in Africa, Angola is $3.5 billion. South Africa, $1.2 billion.”
