New Lagos Terminal: Architectural Masterpiece changing Travel…
The new Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos terminal is one of the best facilities, which seeks to give travellers comfort and seamless travels, not just in Nigeria, but in Africa. OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes. Airports are more than just critical parts of the global transport system, linking communities and businesses with the world – they are important employers and catalysts to skills development in their own right.
The new Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, constructed by the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), and commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 22, 2022, has become one of the country’s most important infrastructure projects in terms of technological development, economic growth and employment generation.
The new terminal with the state-of-the art facilities and fittings, has the capacity to process 14 million passengers annually, 60 check-in counters, five baggage claim belts, 16 departure desks and 28 arrival desks, estimated to create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, while also further contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The new Lagos international terminal is fixed with a lie detector machine, which further simplifies the work of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) as lying traveller either outbound or inbound, could be detected with ease. This is one of the latest technologies in the world.
Nigeria with its over 200 million estimated populace is one the biggest markets in Africa for air travel with an average of 16 million passengers using its aerodromes yearly, while 40 per cent of the total travellers are on the international routes.
Apart from the new terminal in Lagos, the Federal Government also replicated such structures in four other terminals in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Kano, thereby further giving credence to infrastructure development by the Buhari’s administration.
President Buhari-led government since assumption of office in 2015 despite the dwindling resources has given priority to the construction of projects, which it said is to reduce hardship across the country and enhance productivity across the country.
The government’s intervention on airport construction and acquisition of several equipment for upgrade of the system has improved the rating of Nigeria in the comity of nations, while also boosting air safety.
Though questions were asked about the capacity, location of the new terminal and the alleged refusal of some airlines to relocate to the facility, but it is clear that the terminal is futuristically placed and was constructed to complement the old terminal, which was built in 1979 to accommodate just 200,000 travellers annually, but now does over five million yearly.
The new terminal, like what is obtainable in other parts of the world, is artistically linked to the old terminal for easy accessibility by passengers.
Air travelers could check-in at the Terminal One (old terminal) and board at the new one and vice versa. Same also applies to baggage reclaim by travellers.
Just last week, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture in the company of Capt. Musa Nuhu and Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), respectively and some top government functionaries toured the new facility and expressed delight at its aesthetics, which he confessed was comparable to anywhere else in the world.
Mohammed emphasised that the edifice, like the four new others, is a testament to the commitment of President Buhari administration’s unprecedented infrastructure development, which cuts across roads, bridges, rail, water dams, sea ports and others.
The minister boasted that no administration in the annals of Nigeria had done this much, especially at a time of scarcity of resources and the multiple challenges bedeviling the nation in recent years.
Besides, maintenance of facilities has been one of the major challenges confronting infrastructure development in Nigeria over the years, but this time around, the government assured that adequate plans have been put in place for the regular maintenance and cleaning of the edifice.
Mohammed said: “At the beginning, some people said we should give the maintenance of the airport to local companies, but I said what is important is safety and security.
“Gradually, when we give this maintenance to competent people who will also be obliged within a certain time to transfer technology to local companies. As of today, the best in the world are taking care of the maintenance of this airport.
“When the old airport was commissioned, it took quite a while for it to become operational.
The new international terminal is not to replace the old one, but to complement it.
It is gradually, and very soon this airport will be very busy. You can see that terminals are not used only by airlines. We have restaurant operators, banks, foreign exchange operators and others and you have to screen people over and over again before it becomes operational.”
On the repayment of the loan, Mohammed assured that the government would comply with the terms and conditions stipulated in the contractual agreement with the Chinese, but appealed to individuals and private organisations to contribute to its defrayment through regular and adequate payment of taxes.
“When loans are used and invested in infrastructure such as this, then it means the loans are wisely used. The major problem is that the tax to GDP ratio is so low because most Nigerians don’t pay tax. So, I want to appeal to Nigerians to help the government in paying their taxes, then there will be a reduction in the deficit that we are experiencing,” he said.
Also, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, the Managing Director of FAAN, assured that the facility could accommodate more operators and other businesses.
For instance, Yadudu emphasised that Bureau De Change (BDC) operators, restaurants, pharmacies and other concessionaires would move their operations to the new terminal in the next coming weeks.
According to him, at least additional five airlines would relocate their operations to the new terminal effective September 1, 2022, thereby bringing the number of operators at the terminal to seven.
“A lot of integration has to be done. More than eight airlines showed interest, but five are starting from September 1 at the international terminal. There is a connecting area with the old terminal where passengers are moved from one terminal to the other. We need to have the aircraft to be able to park at one side.
“The second part is that FAAN is working with the Federal Government to ensure the clearing of obstruction so that there will be accessibility for the planes to park in that area.
“In terms of the businesses, some of these businesses of duty free are international businesses and it takes time for them to be able to come, especially when you are coming to a government operated area, there is a lot of due process.”
Other facilities in the terminal include five baggage collection carousels, 16 Immigration desks at arrival, 28 Immigration desks at departure, eight security screening points, six passenger boarding bridges (out of which two have already been installed), two food courts, four premium lounges and 22 guest rooms and spa.
Other facilities are 16 airline ticketing offices, visa on arrival and port health facility, as well as praying area, more than 3,000 square metres of duty free space and approximately 5,000 square metres of lettable utility space.
