Nigeria’s Federal Government has come under fire over the recent approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), committing N712 billion to the renovation of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
FEC, at its meeting last week, approved the amount as presented by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, for the renovation of the airport.
The approval has, however, been greeted with criticisms, especially from opposition groups like the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).
Rejecting the proposal, the ADC criticised the Bola Tinubu-led administration for planning to spend over N712 billion on renovating the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party described the expenditure as extravagant and a misplaced priority.
The ADC expressed concern that the federal government continues to ignore the other arms of government when making decisions that affect the entire nation. It questioned whether the renovation project and its cost were approved by the National Assembly, labelling the spending as reckless and insensitive.
The party stated, “The African Democratic Congress strongly condemns the outrageous N712 billion airport renovation project announced by the Tinubu administration as another brazen act of fiscal recklessness and official insensitivity, which further confirms how far this APC government is removed from the reality of the suffering people of Nigeria.
“It is hard to understand how expending N712 billion on renovating an airport that already received significant upgrades in recent years makes fiscal sense in a country where public universities wallow in chronic austerity, where basic medical care has become a luxury only the rich can afford, and where millions of Nigerians have been thrown into poverty as a result of government’s ill-conceived policies. The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos remains functional and serviceable.
“What the aviation sector needs is not another gold-plated terminal, but proper maintenance, enhanced efficiency, and the expansion of regional airports to boost real connectivity across Nigeria. Just for context, the amount of money being funneled into the renovation of one airport, approximately $500 million is the same total amount that was spent to build four new airports in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt in 2014 via a Chinese loan that is yet to be repaid.
“This same Murtala Muhammed Airport had a new international terminal commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2022. According to media reports at the time, the facility was built on a landmass of approximately 56,000 square metres, with 66 check-in counters, and had the capacity to process 14 million passengers annually.”
The party noted that the airport is reportedly fitted with a censored conveyor belt, seven jet bridges, ten advanced cooling systems, heat extraction units in the baggage hall, spacious duty-free areas and banks, children’s recreational zones, and a 22-room hotel for stopovers, among other features.
The ADC stressed that while the facility was originally built to handle 14 million passengers annually, available data shows it only processed 6.5 million passengers in 2024, less than half its capacity.
“We therefore wonder if it is this same airport that is now scheduled for renovation, or another one. The inescapable conclusion is either that the previous APC government lied to Nigerians about what it did with the Lagos Airport, or the current government is about to spend such a huge amount of money on a project that already exists.
“Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that this massive expenditure approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on July 31, 2025 has not received any backing from the National Assembly, and it is not in any of the approved budgets. Is this now how the government spends close to a trillion naira, without appropriation, without scrutiny, and without the consent of the Nigerian people through their elected representatives?
“We demand to know: under what constitutional provision is this money being spent? How did we get here, that the government of Nigeria, even in the face of extant accountability laws, is able to approve expenditure of this magnitude with no public breakdown of costs, no transparent procurement process, and no national debate?
“Let us be clear: N712 billion could instead deliver a transformative impact by building over seven fully equipped teaching hospitals, funding free basic education across three geopolitical zones for five years, providing rural electrification to thousands of communities, or rehabilitating thousands of kilometres of federal roads and bridges.
“The ADC calls on all Nigerians to reject this frivolous project. We therefore demand its immediate suspension, a full independent audit of the proposed budget, and a redirection of funds toward projects that would directly improve the lives of ordinary citizens which should be the priority of any government.”
The party warned that reckless spending amid hunger, hardship, and insecurity would widen the trust gap between the government and the people, especially when it struggles to justify its borrowing.
In line with the ADC’s position, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) regretted that several medical centres across the country suffer from poor maintenance. It added that both the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) recently returned from life-threatening strikes over poor welfare and institutional mismanagement by the federal government.
This, it said, comes even as the government is spending billions of naira on renovating the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos—facilities that remain functional and, according to CUPP, do not require such upgrades.
CUPP, in a viral video by its National Secretary, Peter Ameh, on Sunday, said, “The number of nurses in the country has depleted so seriously while our government is busy putting money in the wrong direction. There is nowhere a right-thinking administration will put a whopping N712 billion into the renovation of an airport that has remained very functional. We should address the realities of the time. We have several moribund industries that need to be revived for employment and production.
“About 65% of Nigerians are in multi-dimensional poverty, and we are busy investing money in areas that will benefit only the administration in its re-election push. Why can’t the government direct the fund into agriculture, manufacturing, or infrastructure to promote the democracy dividends that will benefit the populace and, in turn, boost the country’s resources?
“Moreover, the said amount did not pass through the National Assembly before its approval. This also contravenes the provisions of the country’s constitution, which recognises the powers of the Assembly to deliberate and pass such proposals before implementation.”
Meanwhile, the federal government has defended its decision to approve the controversial amount for the renovation of the airport.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, while justifying the government’s decision, described the project as a necessary overhaul to modernise the country’s busiest airport and accommodate surging passenger traffic.
Keyamo, in a statement posted on his verified X account on Sunday, he said the project will focus on the full rehabilitation and redesign of Terminal One, the older of the two international terminals in Lagos.
He explained that the terminal, built in 1979, has become structurally decrepit after decades of neglect and overwhelming use. The facility will be stripped down to its structural carcass, including removal of the roof, before being redesigned and rebuilt to meet modern international standards. The work will affect both Wings D and E of the terminal.
Keyamo added that the newer Terminal Two, completed with a Chinese loan and made operational during President Tinubu’s first month in office, will also be expanded. The expansion includes enlarging the apron to accommodate more aircraft, especially wide-body jets.
To ease vehicular movement in and out of the airport, he disclosed that two new independent ring roads will be constructed, one for arrivals and the other for departures alongside a new bridge that will lead directly to the upper floor of Terminal Two’s departure lounge. This, he said, will correct a design flaw that currently forces travellers to haul luggage up escalators.
Keyamo further explained that the entire project will be funded through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, established from savings made after the removal of fuel subsidies, with no loans involved.