BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Abdullahi Ganduje, has said the recent fire outbreak at the international wing of Lagos airport posed a grave safety concern but commended emergency responders for preventing fatalities.
Leading board members on an inspection tour of the affected facility, Ganduje said the incident struck at the very foundation of FAAN’s operational philosophy.
“There’s no doubt when we had the fire outbreak at the International Airport here in Lagos, it was an issue of great concern, especially the board members who we believe our core value of FAAN is safety.
“This really affected the safety of the airport, including the safety of the employees, the safety of passengers, the safety of equipment and many other infrastructural facilities”, he said.
He explained that the board chose to assess the situation firsthand. “We decided to be here in order to see for ourselves, because we say seeing is believing.”
While acknowledging the scale of destruction, Ganduje praised the Managing Director and her team, singling out the firefighters for special recognition.
“We have seen the damage that occurred, but at the same time we have to congratulate the MD and her management team, especially the firefighters, over 150 of them who were around until the fire was completely quenched. This is an unfortunate situation.”
Although a full report is still being compiled, he confirmed that sensitive equipment was destroyed but stressed that no death was recorded.
“We have not got the report yet. The MD is working on that. But what we could say is that this is really affecting the aviation reform by President Bola Tinubu, but equally the same, the staff are equal to the task.”
Ganduje also commended the media for promptly informing Nigerians about both the outbreak and its containment, describing the situation as under control while recovery and repairs continue.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
