BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has ruled out sabotage with regards to the fierce fire outbreak at the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos yesterday evening, which left critical aviation equipment in ruins.
The Minister, while expressing joy that no lives were lost in the inferno, hailed the dramatic rescue operations carried out by emergency responders, noted that the incident will fast-track the long-awaited demolition and total reconstruction of the aging facility.
He said: “First of all, we must thank those who were the first responders before we begin to explain conspiracy theories”.
Firefighters from the Lagos State Fire Service, alongside aviation emergency teams and airport fire units, battled the flames in a coordinated response that officials say prevented a catastrophic outcome.
Senior management staff and directors were physically present at the scene, directing containment efforts.
“We look at those who helped to save lives and ensure that we did not have more damage than we already have,” the Minister added.
Amid swirling reports online, he clarified that the inferno did not affect the airport’s new terminal. Instead, it ravaged the decades-old structure already earmarked for demolition.
“It is not the new terminal that was affected. It is the terminal that we are about to pull down. There is nothing fortunate about the fire, but this building was about to be pulled down anyway and totally rehabilitated”, Keyamo noted.
He revealed that arrangements had already been concluded to relocate airlines and agencies operating within the old complex to a temporary facility provided by CCEC.
The fire, he explained, has merely hastened an inevitable transition.
“What this has done is to hasten our movement away from the building.
We are just waiting for people to evacuate. This place would have come down anyway. Though lives were spared, the damage to aviation infrastructure was severe,” he said.
The offices and installations of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which provide critical weather data for flight operations, were completely destroyed.
“Our NiMet office where they read the weather, that is totally gone,” the Minister disclosed.
He added that Upper floors of the building remain unsafe for access, with officials unable to fully assess the extent of destruction on the fifth, sixth, and seventh levels.
“That is just the tip of the iceberg. In this kind of situation, we first look at the loss of lives. We thank God that there was no single loss of life. Four injured persons remain hospitalised but are reported to be stable,” the Minister said.
Despite initial disruptions that saw some airlines rerouted, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) activated emergency contingency plans with speed.
“We resumed almost an hour. They are using a temporary tower, and mobile towers are coming in for us to resume normal flight activities,” he noted.
He reassured passengers and the global aviation community that Nigeria’s busiest airport remains fully operational.
“Flight activities will not be disrupted in any way at all. Temporary weather monitoring arrangements are also being put in place while authorities design a comprehensive replacement plan for destroyed NiMet equipment,” he declared.
Officials say alternative stations can supply critical meteorological data in the interim.
Addressing rumours circulating on social media, including suggestions that an inverter may have sparked the blaze, the Minister refused to speculate.
“At my level as minister, I cannot begin to guess or get involved in conspiracy theories. Later, investigations will determine the cause.”
He also cautioned journalists against amplifying unofficial accounts, urging reliance on formal briefings.
“Listen to only the official position. We are not hiding anything,” he said, noting that he personally allowed members of the press into parts of the affected building despite lingering smoke.
“It is public property. We have nothing to conceal,” he insisted
Beyond the immediate crisis, the fire has intensified focus on the urgent need to modernise Nigeria’s principal aviation gateway.
Official data show that roughly 67 percent of international passengers entering the country pass through the Lagos airport, making it the undisputed nerve centre of Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“Sixty-something percent of travellers come through here. There is no reason why this place should not reflect how healthy Nigeria is.”
He described the old terminal as overwhelmed by traffic and long neglected, with obsolete equipment and collapsed infrastructure unable to cope with modern demands.
“This is like a 50-year-old building. The traffic overpowered its capacity over time,” he stressed.
He noted that, the planned reconstruction aims to transform Lagos into a competitive transit hub capable of rivaling leading West African and continental airports.
The vision according to him includes seamless passenger transfers without requiring transit visas, positioning Nigeria as a strategic connector between global destinations.
“We want to challenge other West African hubs and even African hubs. Nigerians will be proud at the end of this,” the Minister said.
As rubble clearance begins and investigations get underway, officials maintain that the fire, though destructive, may serve as the final catalyst for long-overdue transformation.
For now, the relief is palpable: no lives lost, injured persons stable, flights resumed within hours, and reconstruction plans already in motion.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
