Lagos vows to build airport despite two-year delay

The Lagos State Government has said no litigation is delaying the construction of an international airport in the Lekki area of the state to complement the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

According to the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, all necessary documents are with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria for the commencement of the airport.

The Federal Government approved the construction of the airport on October 10, 2022, for the facility to serve about five million passengers annually from the Lekki, Ajah, and Epe areas of Lagos State once completed.

During the handover of the approval letter to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, said the state was qualified to embark on the project, citing the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos.

The PUNCH reported in October this year that legal challenges could potentially delay the project.

A dispute over an agreement with a terminal operator in the state, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, raised concerns that the proposed airport might violate existing contracts.

Earlier in January, Omotoso had also assured that the airport construction would be prioritised in the “ambitious 2024 N2.2tn budget” of the state.

However, the construction of the project has been delayed by over two years since its approval.

In a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, Omotoso explained that the project would be financed through a public-private partnership, with private investors bringing in the necessary funding.

He added, “I am not aware of any legal obstacles. The Federal Government has granted approval, and we have signed all necessary documents with the federal airport authority. There are no legal encumbrances.”

The commissioner confirmed that several investors were interested in the project.

Speaking further, Omotoso said, “We are not going to finance it from our balance sheet.  It is something that will be done through public-private partnerships. It is not something that one can fix the completion at a particular time. You still have to raise the funding. Already, the site has been identified around the Aiyetoro region. The project is on and it is not something we should worry about.”

Omotoso added that the Lekki International Airport was a priority for Governor Sanwo-Olu, who had promised to deliver the project before the end of his tenure.