Abdullahi Ganduje, chairman of the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has expressed concern over the destruction of critical aviation equipment following Monday’s fire outbreak at the old terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the affected facility on Thursday, Ganduje described the incident as deeply troubling to the board, particularly given FAAN’s statutory responsibility for airport safety and infrastructure protection.
He noted that while the full cause of the fire remains under investigation, the scale of equipment damage, especially assets belonging to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), raises operational and safety considerations.
“When we first received reports of the fire outbreak at the international airport in Lagos, it was a matter of serious concern to the board. Safety is the core value of FAAN. The incident had implications not only for infrastructure but also for employees, passengers and critical aviation equipment,” Ganduje said.
Preliminary assessments indicate that several sensitive installations were affected, including air navigation and meteorological systems. Although no fatalities were recorded, Ganduje acknowledged that the destruction of technical infrastructure represents a setback for airport operations.
The FAAN board chairman commended the authority’s managing director and emergency response teams for containing the blaze. According to him, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to the scene and remained on ground until the fire was completely extinguished.
“From what we have seen, the firefighters did substantial work to contain the situation. While a number of sensitive assets were destroyed, we are grateful that no lives were lost,” he said, adding that the situation is now under control.
The extent of the equipment damage is expected to form part of ongoing assessments as authorities work to determine the fire’s origin and quantify operational losses.
Earlier in the week, Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, confirmed that certain meteorological equipment belonging to NiMet was affected. He noted that temporary arrangements had been activated, with some systems deployed from other operational stations to Lagos to sustain services.
Similarly, Umar Ahmed Farouk, managing director of NAMA, disclosed that the agency’s Air-to-Ground communication equipment was completely destroyed in the fire. The loss, he said, disrupted communication systems temporarily, though backup infrastructure was immediately deployed to maintain air traffic services.
