A joint delegation from the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Aviation conducted an on the spot assessment of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on Wednesday following a significant fire incident at Terminal 1 earlier this week.
The lawmakers, led by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and Honorable Abdullahi Garba, toured the damaged wings of the nation’s busiest airport to evaluate the destruction of critical infrastructure and aviation equipment.
Following a closed door briefing with the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, the legislators affirmed their commitment to a thorough, evidence based inquiry.
Senator Buhari, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, emphasized that the National Assembly would refrain from speculation regarding the cause of the fire including rumors of sabotage until formal investigations by FAAN and security agencies are concluded.
“We will allow them to do their internal investigations… We can’t give a report in a situation where the investigation is still ongoing,” Senator Buhari stated, noting that the primary objective remains ensuring “safety first” in line with the current administration’s goals.
Despite the “scale of destruction” and the loss of sensitive equipment belonging to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), officials expressed relief that no fatalities were recorded.
The delegation and FAAN Board Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, praised the swift intervention of over 150 firefighters and the airport management team. Their rapid response allowed for the stabilization of operations and the successful diversion and landing of international flights within hours of the incident.
Honorable Abdullahi Garba, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, echoed the sentiment that further legislative action would be contingent upon the official findings.
Chairman Ganduje noted that while the fire represents a temporary setback to ongoing aviation industry reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the core value of safety was maintained through effective emergency protocols.
The National Assembly continues to monitor the situation closely as the aviation sector works toward full restoration of the affected terminal sections.
