Keyamo admits Nigerian airports lag behind global standards despite recent improvements

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has acknowledged that although notable improvements have been made to the country’s airports—particularly Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)—they still fall short of international benchmarks.

Keyamo made the candid admission in response to a tweet by UK-based academic and career coach, Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo), who praised the enhanced passenger experience at MMIA.

“Kudos @fkeyamo, Lagos airport has changed for good,” Awojide tweeted.

He added: “Aircraft to welcome area looks cleaner and the security area is well designed. My bag came out in 10 minutes. Exit to parking area is way better. I say this as someone who has been travelling for over 15 years. This is the easiest it has been for me in Lagos. Few more cultural issues to tackle, but overall, I acknowledge the significant improvement.”

In a measured reply, Keyamo thanked Awojide for the recognition while offering a sobering reality check.

“Thank you, @OgbeniDipo, for your compliments. But our airports are still far away from global standards, I must admit,” the minister wrote. “We are just making the best of the situation as we found it.”

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Keyamo went on to explain the root of the infrastructure challenges facing Nigerian airports, citing the outdated design of MMIA’s original terminal.

“The old MMIA terminal was built in 1977 and was designed to handle about 200,000 passengers per year,” he said. “Now, we are doing about 3 million passengers in that airport alone per annum and about 15 million nationwide per annum. See the difference! Hence, over the years, the facilities almost collapsed!”

Despite the current limitations, the minister assured Nigerians that major changes are on the horizon, made possible by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“But thanks to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, @officialABAT, we are about to embark on a total rebuilding of the old MMI Airport in Lagos to meet modern standards, with a projection of about 20 million passengers per annum,” Keyamo revealed. “We will unveil the full details before Nigerians in the next few weeks.”

While commending the progress made, the minister’s remarks highlight the scale of the challenge ahead as Nigeria strives to align its aviation infrastructure with global expectations.

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