Lagos gets FG’s nod on proposed Lekki-Epe international airport

The federal government has issued a letter of approval to the Lagos State government to commence construction of a proposed passenger and cargo airport on the Lekki-Epe axis of the state.

Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, presented the official letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the opening of the 9th Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island themed “Lagos State 2022-2052: Charting the Paths to Sustainable Socio-Economic Growth”.

The minister commended the Lagos State government’s decision to construct another airport in Nigeria’s largest economy and most populous city. He noted that it is a very significant development to Nigeria’s economy, underpinned by the state’s fast growing industrial projects which include the Eko Atlantic, Lagos Free Zone, the road networks around Epe and many other developmental projects.

According to Sirika, Lagos has the resources and exigencies for an additional airport around the Lekki Free Zone (LFZ), which will help to decongest the Murtala International Airport and assist business enterprises, manufacturers and other industry players within the zone to transport their products abroad.

“Lagos with its GDP, housing and Stock Exchange, over 200 financial institutions, 25 million people on 3,577 square kilometres of land mass, including the Eko Atlantic, all the industries, the tradition, the history, the tourist attraction, the Eyo Festival, and so on so forth, needs to be connected to the world,” Sirika said.

“For Lagos to continue to be the centre of the economy of the activity of the country, Nigeria, the only best way you can link this city of Lagos to the world is obviously by infrastructure, and especially civil aviation.

“The expansion of Lagos is astronomical, is huge, is big. The idea and the size of the economy is good and big. So, you need to continue to link Lagos, not only with Nigeria, but Africa and the world.

“You are not going to get it wrong because aviation has the opportunity and uniqueness to link markets, link history, tradition and culture, people, schools and hospitals, which all Lagos has,” he said.

The minister further noted that the additional airport will make Lagos more accessible as it will link the people and state closer to the markets, culture, history, tradition, schools, hospitals, larger economy, commerce and trade.

According to him, the GDP of Lagos, now running into trillion, makes about 30 percent of the country’s total GDP, thus making it not only the hub of West Africa but of Africa as a whole.

“We are therefore more than happy to approve it, and we will get our agencies to supervise it to ensure it is done very well, which is also the signature of Lagos itself,” he said.

On his part, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the project was all about a partnership between the federal government, through the Ministry of Aviation, and Lagos State for the benefit of the citizens and the businesses.

The governor said the state government was engaging in Business-to-Business (B2B) as well as Government-to-Business to develop economies like Lagos State. He said it was about giving them a platform where infrastructure and the opportunity for their businesses to thrive are available.

“This infrastructure will reduce journey time, make Lagos easily and better accessible, and people can make local and international business decisions, given all the investment that has happened in that direction,” he said.

The aviation project was initiated by the Lagos State government through a Public Private Partnership (PPP), in response to the rapid commercial and industrial activities on the Lekki-Epe axis. The entire airport infrastructure was designed to be sited on 3,500 hectares, and the first phase of the project is estimated to cost $900 million.