Federal Government of Nigeria has given the Lagos State Government approval to construct the Lekki airport in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government area of the state.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that Lagos State Government on Friday said plans are underway to build a new airport in the Lekki-Epe axis of the state.
The Lekki airport would be constructed around the Lekki Free Zone (LFZ) and was expected to assist manufacturers and other business owners within the zone to transport their products abroad.
The new airport would be offering individuals and corporate organisations options from the existing facilities across the state.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced the approval and handed over the approval documents to the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Ehingbeti Economic Summit in the state on Tuesday.
Sirika said the airport will link Nigeria to the world, and open Lagos to more international economic partnerships.
Federal Government of Nigeria has presented the official letter of approval for the proposed Lekki International Airport to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika presented the letter on Tuesday at the opening of the ongoing ninth Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria.
The theme is ‘Lagos State 2022-2052: Charting the Paths to Sustainable Socio-Economic Growth’.
Sirika said that Lagos has the resources and exigencies for an additional airport, ”which will help to decongest the Murtala International Airport”.
The Minister said, “This is our Lagos, and having this additional airport will make Lagos more accessible. It will link the people and state closer to the markets, culture, history, tradition, schools, hospitals, larger economy, commerce, and trade. 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.
“You will also agree with me that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport is now congested and far from the centre of action at the moment because there is a new Lagos – the Eko Atlantic City, Lekki Free Zone, the road networks around Epe – and many other development projects, making Lagos need this airport like yesterday.
“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.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu, while receiving the letter with enthusiasm, described it as the result of a good partnership with the Federal Government.
He said, “It is very exciting to have the minister here with us today to do the presentation, and this will be the first in the series of announcements to come between today and tomorrow.
“For us, it is about a good partnership with the Federal Government through the Ministry of Aviation but the real beneficiaries are the citizens and the businesses we are trying to activate the more.
”We are doing Govt2B and B2B models, and that is how you develop economies like this. We want to give businesses the platform and infrastructure needed to thrive.
”This infrastructure will reduce travel time, make Lagos easily and better access and people can make better local and international business decisions given all the investments that have been put here. So it’s the right step at the right time.”
