Ganduje Inspects Fire Damage At MMIA Terminal One

KEY POINTS

• Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the FAAN Board of Directors, visited Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Thursday to personally assess fire damage at Terminal One.
• Ganduje stated the fire affected FAAN’s core values of safety regarding passengers, employees, and infrastructure, noting that while no lives were lost, “very sensitive equipment” was destroyed.
• During the visit, the Chairman also inspected the remodeling of the airport and the temporary terminal, describing the quality of work as meeting international standards.

MAIN STORY

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), assessed the extent of damage at the fire-affected Terminal One of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on Thursday. Accompanied by the BoD team, Ganduje informed newsmen in Lagos that the outbreak was an issue of great concern, as it directly impacted FAAN’s core values of safety for the airport, its employees, passengers, and equipment.

While a formal report is still being prepared by the Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, Ganduje noted that the situation is currently under control. He expressed gratitude to the management team and the more than 150 firefighters who remained on-site until the fire was extinguished. Although sensitive equipment was destroyed in the incident, the Chairman confirmed that no fatalities were recorded.

Following the assessment, Ganduje inspected the ongoing remodeling of the airport and the temporary terminal. He praised the quality of the work and the ongoing aviation reforms, stating that the standard of the facilities compared favorably to well-developed international airports abroad. He concluded that the fixing of equipment and the remodeling efforts indicate a successful path forward for the aviation sector in Nigeria.

WHAT’S BEING SAID

• “The core value of FAAN borders on safety and the fire outbreak affected the safety of airport, employees, passengers, equipment among other infrastructural facilities,” said Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
• Regarding the emergency response, he noted: “We have to congratulate the Managing Director… and the firefighters, over 150 of them, who were around until the fire was completely quenched.”
• On the airport’s progress: “The quality of work is beautiful, and all the equipment is being fixed now… it is going to be a big success with the remodeling of the aviation reform.”

WHAT’S NEXT

• The FAAN Board is awaiting the formal technical report from the Managing Director to understand the full scope of the fire’s cause and impact.
• Efforts will focus on replacing the sensitive equipment destroyed during the outbreak to restore full operational capacity.
•  Work on the temporary terminal and the broader aviation reform project will proceed following the high-quality standards noted during the inspection.

BOTTOM LINE

The Bottom Line is that the FAAN leadership has prioritized a direct assessment of the MMIA fire to ensure safety standards are maintained. While the loss of sensitive equipment is a setback, the Chairman’s positive review of the ongoing remodeling suggests that the long-term reform of Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure remains on a steady trajectory.