The Senate Committee on Aviation has dismissed speculation, stating that investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the Feb. 23 fire at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal One.
The Chairman of the committee, Dr Buhari Abdulfatai, made this clear while addressing journalists during an inspection of the affected area of the terminal Thursday evening in Lagos.
Abdulfatai said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to prioritising safety at all times.
He commended Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), for restoring normalcy within a few hours of the fire outbreak.
Abdulfatai stated that FAAN and other responding agencies lived up to expectations, noting that Air Traffic Controllers swiftly diverted flights and reopened the airspace within a short time.
He expressed gratitude that no lives were lost during the incident.
“The takeaway from this is that investigations are still ongoing, and we do not want to pre-empt them. That is why we are not talking about sabotage or anything at this time.
“We will allow them to carry out their internal investigations, as we cannot issue a report on a situation where investigations are still ongoing,” the chairman said.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Mr Abdullahi Garba, also commended FAAN’s Managing Director for her efforts during the incident.
