Lagos State Government has secured approval from the federal government for the construction of the Lekki International Airport in the Lekki-Epe axis of the state.
The approval was presented during the Lagos Economic Summit, Ehingbeti2022, by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on behalf of the Federal Government at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
“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.
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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.
https://twitter.com/jidesanwoolu/status/1579889033500848128?s=20&t=pG7yG1JiE-uWdxG8OElD3A
“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.
Sanwo-Olu explained that Ehingbeti2022 is a forum for all stakeholders in Project Lagos to exchange ideas and chart a path towards accelerating sustainable economic growth in Lagos State. The yearly summit is designed to boost Lagos State’s status as an economic powerhouse and hub, not just in Nigeria, but also in Africa.
The accelerated approval for the Lekki International Airport is in addition to the Lekki Deep Seaport, which was launched earlier this year. Sirika said the federal government did not hesitate to grant the approval for the new airport because of what Lagos represents in Nigeria.
“This city, which houses about 26.7 percent of national GDP, housing our stock exchange, 200 financial institutions, 25 million people, on 5,377 square kilometres of landmass plus Eko Atlantic, plus all the industries, the rich culture, the tradition, the history, the tourist attraction the Eyo Festival, and so on and so forth, needs to be connected to the world to continue to be the center of the economy of the activity of the country, Nigeria.
“And the only way you can link this city of Lagos to the world is obviously — not the only way, but the best way to connect — by infrastructure.
“So, when his Excellency, the governor, approached us in [the] civil aviation ministry and says he wants to build an airport in Lagos, another airport? I said yes, this is a huge step in the very right direction. And the reason is simple. Like I said, in my days of Lagos, the terminal point is MaroKo, Sandfield. When you go there, you only go to mechanic to do panel beating for you — that’s it.
“But today, from here, all the way to outer VGC, all the way to Epe, it’s Lagos. The expansion is astronomical, it’s huge, it’s big. The ideas 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.
“So if you look at all these financial institutions, the 200 industrial estates and the Eko Atlantic, there must be a way that these people will come in and out of Lagos on another alternatively, which is the airport in Lekki. Your Excellency, the governor, this is a huge step in the right direction, we didn’t waste time to give the approval. And we’re happy to present the certificate today,” he said.
Apart from the economic value to the state government, the Lekki International Airport is expected to ease life for people around the Lekki-Epe area, who usually have to lodge close to the Murtala Mohammed Int’l Airport, Ikeja, to keep to their flight time.
If you are going to Lekki axis while using the Ikeja airport, everything connected to flying would have been removed from your system, by the time you arrive Lekki. It doesn’t inspire in anyway, because Ikeja and Lekki-Epe are worlds apart. So I think it’s a good call by Lagos State government.
As for Akwa Ibom and deap seaport, I expect that to be a priority to the government after Udom, including completion of the sprawling roads leading to that seaport. It’s something that must happen, without further dancing around.
Currently Nigeria doesn’t offer many options on where people can live, so I am more interested in having different cities leading in particular sector or industry, because that is another way of seeding new growths. Aside from bank workers and civil servants, most places in Nigeria don’t really have talent pool and decent companies that guarantee disposable income at scale.
To achieve some of these things doesn’t require any legislation or plenty political jargon, only that we lack builders and managers in the land. The ideas are there, but capacity is perpetually in short supply.