The Federal Government of Nigeria has granted the Lagos State Government approval for the construction of passenger and cargo airport on the Lekki-Epe axis of the State.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday received the federal government’s instrument authorising the state to commence the airport project.
The Minister for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, presented the document to the Governor on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari at the ongoing Lagos Economic Summit (Ehingbeti) 2022 taking place at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.
“In the name of God the most merciful, we in the Civil Aviation Ministry are pleased to issue out this approval to Lagos State. May it be a vision to Lagos, to its people, its future, its fortune, the country, and to humanity,” Sirika said as he presented the approval to the state governor.
Lagos Government initiated the aviation project, through a Public Private Partnership (PPP), in response to the pace of development on Lekki-Epe axis, which is now a fast-growing hub of commerce and industrial activities. The entire airport infrastructure will be sited on 3,500 hectares, with the first phase of the project estimated to cost $900 million.
Some private consortia have already expressed their interests in developing the airport, but Lagos government was yet to decide on which investors to partner on aviation infrastructure.
Sanwo-Olu, who described the approval as a ‘milestone’, said the Ehingbeti2022 summit will yield a lot more positive news for Lagosians.
“Dear Lagosians, today, we received the approval for the construction of the Lekki Epe Airport at the Lagos Economic Summit, #Ehingbeti2022.
“This announcement is part of a series of milestone achievements we will be announcing at the 9th edition which I declared open today. The theme of this year’s summit captures all we have been doing in Lagos since the first edition of Ehingbeti,” the governor said.
The construction of the airport is billed to commence in 2023, according to the Lagos State Government.
Commenting further on the approval, Sirika said the federal mandate to Lagos Government on the airport project enjoyed accelerated approval, because of the growing need to further link Lagos and the south-west to international markets and regional trade.
He said the project would transform the GDP of Lagos and create jobs for the national economy. He said the airport would complement the existing Murtala Muhammed International Airport whose operation is overstretched.
“There has been an expansion in Lagos, from Eko Atlantic City to Lekki Free Trade Zones. This growth necessitated the need for another airport in Lagos. We will deploy our statutory agencies to ensure the project is done in compliance with international standards,” the aviation minister added.