‘Reckless and insensitive’ — ADC condemns proposed N712bn on Lagos airport revamp

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted the federal government’s plan to spend N712 billion on the renovation of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

On August 1, Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation, said the Lagos airport rehabilitation would cost N712.25 billion.

The aviation minister said this would be the first major rehabilitation of the airport’s old terminal since its construction.

In a statement on Sunday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC national publicity secretary, described the expenditure as “reckless and insensitive”.

Abdullahi questioned whether the renovation project and its cost were approved by the national assembly, citing the “decay in public universities and the health system now accessible only to the wealthy”.

“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) strongly condemns the outrageous ₦712 billion airport renovation project announced by the Tinubu administration as another brazen act of fiscal recklessness,” the statement reads.

“It is official insensitivity, which further confirms how far this APC government is removed from the reality of the suffering people of Nigeria.

“It is hard to understand how expending ₦712 billion on 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 ADC spokesperson added that what the aviation sector needs is not another “gold-plated” terminal but proper maintenance and the development of regional airports to improve connectivity across Nigeria.