LAGOS: President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the newly constructed international terminal at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Tuesday.
“With the completion of this project, the Nigerian aviation sector has opened up a new age of safety, security, and comfort,” the Nigerian president remarked.
The new terminal features a filtered conveyor belt, seven jet bridges, ten ultra-modern cooling systems, heat extraction in the baggage hall, plenty of space for duty-free stores and banks, children’s recreational spaces, and a 22-room hotel for layovers, among other attractions.
The acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, explained that the new Lagos International terminal has the capacity to process 14 million passengers per annum. She said, “Other facilities in the terminal include five baggage collection carousels, 16 immigration desks at arrival, 28 immigration desks at departure, eight security screening points, and six-passenger boarding bridges, out of which two have already been installed.
“It also has two food courts, four premium lounges, 22 guest rooms and spa, 16 airline ticketing offices, visa on arrival and port health facility, as well as praying area, more than 3,000 square meters of duty-free space, approximately 5,000 square meters of utility space, among others.”
She added that the new terminal was expected to generate about 300,000 direct and indirect jobs, as well as enhance passenger facilitation and comfort at the Lagos airport.
The project has been carried out by China Civil Engineering Building Corporation (CCECC), which is now working on a number of infrastructure projects in Nigeria, including rail and road construction.
It was conducted in partnership with the Chinese government, with the Import-Export Bank of China lending 500 million dollars and the Nigerian government providing 100 million dollars.
