Says agency plans to deploy mobile control tower to Lagos today
Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Farouk Umar, has lamented the destruction of the agency’s facilities as a result of the fire outbreak that engulfed the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Monday.

The NAMA boss also said that the agency would deploy a mobile tower to Lagos, on or before Friday, for the continuation of uninterrupted flight services, but said that the country’s airspace remained safe.

Umar, who spoke with aviation journalists in Lagos yesterday after the tour of the facilities to know the extent of the damage caused by the inferno, said that the fire incident completely consumed the agency’s air-to-ground communication facilities, forcing the temporary suspension of inbound flights into the airport on Monday.

He described the loss as significant, particularly the agency’s communication infrastructure and other critical air traffic services equipment, but was, however, silent on the cost implications of the damage.

According to him, a mobile tower was moved to the site shortly after the incident but lamented that poor terrain hindered the installation as the terrain was poor.

He emphasised that China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the company currently handling the reconstruction of a new terminal for the airport, assisted with urgent civil works to stabilise the ground.

“Within a day or two, they were able to put the necessary support structure in place. Hopefully, by Thursday or Friday, we should be able to move the mobile control tower into position,” he assured.

Meanwhile, the national leadership of the Nigerian Aviation Fire and Safety Association (NAFSA) has commended the resilience of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) firefighters and other assisting agencies who responded to the raging inferno.

President of NAFSA, Sunday Ugbeikwu, said that despite the challenges of lack of accessibility to the fire scene, the firefighters were still able to finally contain the incident the next day by 1:30 a.m.

He, however, advocated a special hazard allowance for FAAN firefighters, citing the risks and occupational hazards associated with their job.