Lagos airport fire caused significant damage to critical infrastructure-Minister

·         NIMET equipment in ruins, offices wiped out, mobile tower deployed

The fire incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal 1 in Lagos on Monday caused significant damage to critical infrastructure.

 Following an on-the-spot inspection of the burnt terminal by the Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, accompanied by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, the Aviation Minister confirmed that, while the building was already slated for demolition, the loss of technical assets is substantial.

The fire, which was said to have originated in the server room on the first floor and spread vertically to the roof, resulted in the total Loss of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) equipment.

The Minister confirmed that the NiMET office was “completely wiped out,” destroying billions of naira worth of vital weather-reading equipment.

The fire spread toward the control tower, trapping 14 staff members on the upper floors. They were eventually rescued using a construction crane.

Keyamo also confirmed six people (three males and three females) sustained injuries. They are currently reported to be in stable condition.

The incident forced a temporary shutdown of Lagos airspace, leading to diversions of international flights and a complete grounding of operations for several hours.

Keyamo noted that while the fire is a setback, it will fast–track the transition to newer facilities.

The affected terminal was already scheduled for a total remodelling valued at N712 billion, with Keyamo stating that the fire essentially accelerated the timeline for demolishing the decrepit structure.

Airlines still operating from the old terminal are being moved to a temporary terminal facility provided by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which was already near completion.

Air traffic control has been restored using a temporary tower and mobile support systems, while NiMET services are being routed through alternative stations to prevent further flight delays.

While early rumours suggested sabotage, the Minister has cautioned against speculation.

“So let me assure Nigerians that even before this fire, if you look behind, we had already made temporary arrangements to move most of the airlines, most of the entities in that space to the temporary place provided by the CCEC. What this has just done is to hasten our move away from the building,” he said.

Preliminary findings point to an electrical fault in the server room. A full financial and technical assessment is currently underway to determine the total cost of the equipment lost.

Leading journalists to a new temporary terminal until the construction of terminal 1 is completed, the Minister said, “I thought we should come here for you to see what I actually said at the other side that we had actually made adequate arrangements for movement from that place to a temporary site before the unfortunate fire. So we have done this to assure Nigerians that we are actually prepared for the movement away from that place. So I’m sure you have seen the facility.”

“This whole facility here is a temporary checking terminal for the airlines that we’re operating in D and E, which is the terminal one that was gutted by fire yesterday. So came a bit too early, but now the fire has forced me to make a tour because I was actually coming here in the next one or two weeks with members of the press to see that we’re actually ready for the reconstruction. The fire has not disrupted anything actually prepared. We just want to tell Nigerians to be patient. It is a 22-month construction period, after that it’s going to be El Dorado at the airport.”

Wole Shadare