Anger Grows Over Tinubu Government’s N712bn Lagos Airport Plan

The Federal Government’s approval of ₦712 billion to renovate the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has drawn sharp criticism from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which says the plan is out of touch with the realities facing most Nigerians.

The ADC’s reaction came after the government announced the renovation under its Renewed Hope infrastructure programme. The party says such a huge sum going into an airport project—especially one that already received upgrades just a few years ago—shows poor judgment and a lack of concern for people battling daily hardship.

The criticism was made public in a statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s interim publicity secretary. He argued that pumping such funds into one airport makes no sense in a country where public universities remain poorly funded, millions of citizens live without basic healthcare, and poverty continues to deepen under current economic policies. He recalled that a similar terminal at the same airport was commissioned in 2022 with state-of-the-art facilities and a capacity to process 14 million passengers annually, even though it handled less than half of that number in 2024.

The party compared the current ₦712bn approval to a $500 million deal struck with China in 2014 that covered the construction of four new airports in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt—suggesting that this new project either duplicates past efforts or exposes misleading information from previous governments.

Adding to the concerns is the claim that the newly approved renovation lacks legal and financial transparency. The ADC pointed out that the funds were approved without the backing of the National Assembly and were not part of any officially approved budget. The party is now asking how such a massive financial decision was taken without oversight or proper public disclosure.

According to the ADC, this pattern of spending could deepen mistrust between citizens and those in power. With hunger, unemployment, and insecurity still on the rise, the party says this money would have been better spent on projects that touch more lives—like hospitals, rural electrification, schools, or road repair.

The party is now calling for the immediate suspension of the renovation plan. It also wants a full independent audit of the proposal and a redirection of the funds toward basic services and infrastructure that Nigerians actually need.

The statement ended with a warning to government authorities: wasteful decisions like this risk pushing the country further down the path of discontent and division.