Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has confirmed that equipment belonging to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) was destroyed in a fire outbreak at the Old Terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The fire, which broke out around noon on Monday, injured six people and forced the diversion of three international flights. According to the Minister, four of the injured are in stable condition and responding to treatment.
Keyamo made the disclosure on Tuesday after touring the damaged facility alongside senior aviation officials and journalists.
He stated that although the Old Terminal was already scheduled for demolition and reconstruction, the fire had accelerated plans to vacate and rebuild the structure.
“The building was about to be pulled down anyway and totally rehabilitated. However, a lot of our equipment was damaged. For example, our NiMet equipment, our NiMet office where they read the weather is totally gone,” he said.
The Minister noted that some air traffic control personnel were trapped during the incident and had to be rescued using a crane. Temporary arrangements have since been made to maintain operations.
According to him, air traffic controllers are currently operating from a temporary tower, while mobile towers are being deployed to ensure flight activities continue without disruption.
Keyamo also revealed that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), already on site for reconstruction works, will expedite the rebuilding process.
Despite the loss of critical weather-monitoring equipment, the Minister assured the public that alternative NiMet stations would provide support while damaged infrastructure is replaced.
Authorities are yet to determine the total cost of the damage.
