The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended the Federal Government’s decision to spend $470 million on the renovation of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, describing aviation as the nation’s most critical gateway to foreign investment and global perception.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Prime Programme on Arise TV on Monday, Keyamo insisted that the airport upgrade was not just a matter of infrastructure, but national image and economic sense.
“Without an aviation sector and the gateway to the country, you will not attract anybody to your country. It is the face of the country. Aviation is the face of the country.
“And any government that does not prioritise that, you want to destroy every single foreign investment that is coming into the country.
“And that’s why I said, I’m going to come to them, but you know, we are not starting, this is ADC,” the minister said.
Keyamo argued that Nigerians were already aware of the significance of the Lagos airport and its influence on tourism, especially during the festive season.
“So these issues, Nigerians who are listening to us are more intelligent than most of us.
“They understand the issues involved here. They understand the priority we have given to the airport, the Lagos airport, which is the face of the nation, virtually the face of the nation.
‘”And guess what? It’s going to have a multiplier effect on tourism.
“Look at Detty December, are you not proud of Detty December? That Lagos is now known for Detty December.
“Is that airport, that old airport you want to bring people in all over the world to do Detty December in Lagos?
“When they land, they see the heat at the airport.
“When they land, they go to airport that, they go to toilet that is smelly,” the aviation minister said.
When challenged about whether the huge amount allocated to the airport was a misplaced priority, Keyamo responded that the public could judge for themselves.
“Not to Nigeria. I said you are doing it to me. I said the same, I’ve told you about priority.
“You are coming back to the same thing I’ve answered a hundred times. Okay, next question. Well, let’s, let’s go to some other things.
“Let Nigerians judge whether it is good or not,” the minister said.
Explaining the scope and modernity of the project, Keyamo said the idea that airports are simply about concrete structures is outdated.
“People think airports are blocks and cements. That is the mentality in their heads. Airports are not blocks and cements.
“Airports, they include very intricate equipment, navigation, communication equipment, carousels, high-tech equipment, and we are going to make it a smart airport.
“You know what smart airports are around the world?
“The highest-tech equipment will be in those airports.
“That is what it is all over the world now,” the minister said.
He referenced global comparisons to argue 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.
“What is it called? Addis Ababa, 7.8 billion dollars. And on Cambodia, $1.5 billion. Guess what ours is? $470 million.
“More than less than half a billion dollars. That is what we are doing, and guess what? It’s not only the building itself.
“We are doing an intricate complex of roads, new ring roads, two levels of ring roads around the airport,” Keyamo concluded.
