The Lagos State Government has declared its intention to begin building of a new airport on the state’s Lekki axis. This was revealed by Mr. Ope George, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Private Partnerships (PPP), at a media engagement hosted by the State Government on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja.
George claimed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-administration Olu’s sought and received Federal Government clearance for the construction of a new airport in Lagos.
He stated that the project, which is scheduled to launch in 2023, would be built over 3,500 hectares of land, and that the master plan and aeronautical drawings are in place.
George also claimed that research are ongoing about strategies, funding, and other issues, after which the project will be taken to the marketplace.
The Special Adviser also said that the airport, which is expected to cater to a minimum of 5 million people yearly, will be constructed in partnership with local and foreign investors.
The Lagos State Government has long planned to build a new airport in the Lekki axis, which is one of the state’s four major economic areas.
The Lekki axis has been home to a number of large development projects, including the Free Trade Zone, the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals, Dangote Fertilizer, the soon-to-be-completed Lekki Deep Sea Port, and other major industrial enterprises.
The proposed Lekki Airport project is expected to cost over $450 million in its first phase and was initially scheduled to open in 2012. The new airport’s opening is intended to assist relieve congestion at the ever-busy Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.
