Members of the National Assembly said Thursday they will await the outcome of investigations by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria into Monday’s fire at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, even as FAAN Board Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje praised the airport’s emergency response.
The lawmakers’ position followed an on-site assessment by a joint delegation of the Senate and House of Representatives aviation committees after inspecting damage to Terminal 1.
The fire on Monday destroyed the terminal wing, prompting concern among aviation stakeholders and visits from government officials, regulators, and lawmakers to the nation’s busiest airport.
The delegation arrived at the airport around 3:07 p.m., toured sections of the damaged facility, and held a closed-door meeting with FAAN management, led by Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Abdulfatai Buhari, said the National Assembly would refrain from speculation until investigations are complete.
“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,” Buhari said. “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 said emergency responders acted quickly to stabilize 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 past midnight,” he said.
He added that lawmakers would not pre-empt the ongoing investigation. “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.”
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Abdullahi Garba, said the legislature would rely on official findings before taking further action. “The investigation is ongoing, and we will wait for the same before anything can be done on this development. The MD has done very well because within just three hours she was able to achieve stability,” Garba said.
Earlier, Ganduje said the fire destroyed critical aviation equipment belonging to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, sending shockwaves through the aviation sector and posing a setback to ongoing reforms under President Bola Tinubu.
“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.
He added that while 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. A lot of very sensitive equipment has been destroyed, but no death was recorded. I think the situation is under control now, but it’s unfortunate.”
