Lagos airport fire incident may affect aviation reform agenda, says Ganduje
Amid the prevailing insecurity nationwide, the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has called for the establishment of a dual surveillance system that combines conventional Air Traffic Management (ATM) with a dedicated military command and control framework to enhance the security of Nigeria’s airspace.

Managing Director of NAMA, Umar Farouq, made the call, yesterday, in Abuja during the groundbreaking ceremony of the agency’s new corporate headquarters.

Farouq said the proposed dual surveillance architecture was not merely a system upgrade but a national security imperative in view of the persistent security challenges confronting the country.

He described the construction of the new NAMA Corporate Headquarters as the first concrete step towards consolidating ongoing reforms and technological advancements within the agency.

According to him, the facility will house a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Management Centre that reflects the agency’s strategic importance and technological progress.

Farouq said the project represents a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s airspace management structure, noting that for decades, NAMA’s operations had been decentralised across multiple regions.

He also said that the new ATM centre would consolidate the existing Area Control Centres (ACCs) in Lagos and Kano into a single, centralised hub in Abuja, thereby creating a unified “One Flight Information Region (FIR)” for the country.

The NAMA boss said the agency was committed to completing the modernisation of its surveillance and communication infrastructure, including ongoing space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) implementation and Wide Area Multilateration deployment in the Niger Delta.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that the recent fire outbreak at the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, may impact the ongoing aviation reform programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu negatively.

Ganduje, in the company of other board members, stated this yesterday at the airport during the tour of the burnt terminal to know the extent of the damage caused by the inferno.

He, however, expressed confidence in the capacity of airport members of staff, led by the Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, to manage the situation effectively.

Besides, he lamented that the incident affected critical airport infrastructure, raising concerns about passengers’ safety, members of staff welfare and the integrity of operational equipment.

Ganduje said that while the full report on the cause and extent of the damage was still being compiled by FAAN, the board considered it necessary to visit the site to assess the situation firsthand.

He, therefore, gave the assurance that with the commitment demonstrated by FAAN personnel, normalcy would soon be fully restored and reform initiatives would continue without major challenge.