Tinubu Approves Second Runway for Abuja Airport, Insists on Alternative Funding

President Bola Tinubu has approved the construction of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, marking a renewed push to upgrade Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure. The approval, which echoes a similar decision by past administrations, comes with a presidential directive to source funding outside the federal budget.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the development at the Nigeria Aircraft Acquisition and Investment Summit 2026 in Abuja. He said the project would follow the completion of ongoing works at the Lagos airport.

“A second runway has been approved by Mr. President, and this is the first time I am saying it here today. We have secured the President’s approval to construct the runway,” Keyamo stated.

Plans for the Abuja second runway date back to April 2009, when the Federal Government unveiled a proposal estimated at N64 billion. However, repeated contract revisions by Chinese contractors, citing economic conditions raised the cost to N90 billion in 2023 and N532 billion by 2025. Keyamo previously rejected the latest figure, and no new contract sum has been announced.

The proposed 4.5-kilometre runway, designed to be 75 metres wide with Category III airfield lighting, would be capable of accommodating the world’s largest passenger aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777.

Speaking to global financiers at the summit, Keyamo assured them of Nigeria’s readiness, citing strengthened compliance frameworks and progress on revenue repatriation. He did not, however, disclose the specific funding model for the project.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Chris Najomo, called for stronger legal and institutional frameworks to ease aircraft financing, warning that without affordable credit, fleet expansion would continue to lag.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who addressed the summit virtually, noted that Africa accounts for only about three per cent of global trade, with intra-African trade stuck at 16 per cent. She urged governments to see aviation as an economic enabler rather than a revenue source and advocated for public-private partnerships in aircraft acquisition.