Members of the National Assembly have said they will await the outcome of investigations by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria into Monday’s fire incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, even as the Chairman of FAAN’s Board, Abdullahi Ganduje, commended the airport management for its swift emergency response.
The lawmakers’ position followed an on-the-spot assessment by a joint delegation of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Aviation after inspecting the extent of damage to the Terminal 1 wing of the airport.
Recall that a ravaging fire destroyed the Terminal 1 wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday. The fire triggered widespread concern among aviation stakeholders, prompting swift visits by government officials, regulators, and lawmakers to the nation’s busiest airport.
The lawmakers arrived at the airport around 3:07 pm, toured sections of the burnt facility, and subsequently proceeded to a closed-door meeting with FAAN management, led by the Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku.
Speaking shortly after the inspection, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Abdulfatai Buhari, said the National Assembly would refrain from speculation until investigations are concluded.
He said, “You know the present government has an intention to always achieve safety first. When this happened two days ago, we resolved to come here and do an on-the-spot assessment today because yesterday was for budget defence. That is why we are here from both chambers.”
He noted that the lawmakers were encouraged by the absence of casualties despite the scale of destruction.
“We thank God that there was no loss of life, which is the most important thing, and we are happy that despite the incident, FAAN and other agencies lived up to expectations,” Buhari added.
According to him, emergency responders acted swiftly to stabilise airport operations, allowing international flights to continue with minimal disruption.
“They were able to turn things around and diverted flights, one to Malabo, Emirates to Accra. Even Emirates and Lufthansa still landed here around past 12:00 midnight. That shows that the response was high and, as a result, we are very happy.”
The senator stressed that lawmakers would not pre-empt ongoing investigations. “The takeaway from here is that the investigation is still ongoing, and we don’t want to pre-empt them, and that’s why we are not talking about sabotage or anything right now.
“We will allow them to do their internal investigations, and there is also security who will eventually tell us what happened exactly. We can’t give a report in a situation where the investigation is still ongoing.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Abdullahi Garba, said the National Assembly would rely on official findings before taking further legislative action.
He stated, “Just like my senior colleague said, the investigation is ongoing, and we will wait for the same before anything can be done on this development. For the MD, she has done very well because within just three hours she was able to achieve stability; that is a very good one.”
Earlier, FAAN Board Chairman Ganduje expressed deep concern over the destruction caused by the fire, particularly the loss of critical aviation equipment belonging to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.
He said the incident initially sent shockwaves through the aviation sector and posed a setback to ongoing industry reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“There’s no doubt when we heard about the fire outbreak at the International Airport here in Lagos, it was an issue of great concern, especially to the board members. We believe the core value of FAAN is safety,” Ganduje said while assessing the damage at the old terminal.
According to him, the incident affected multiple layers of airport safety, including personnel, passengers, and critical infrastructure.
“We decided to be here in order to see for ourselves. 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 — but this is an unfortunate situation.”
He added that although sensitive equipment was destroyed, emergency teams prevented fatalities and ensured the airport remained operational.
“From what we have seen, the firefighters did a lot of work. We have seen that a lot of very sensitive equipment has been destroyed, but no death was recorded anyway. I think the situation is under control now, but it’s unfortunate.”
Punch
