Members of the National Assembly have said they will refrain from commenting on the cause of Monday’s fire outbreak at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport pending the conclusion of investigations by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
The position was made known after a joint delegation from the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Aviation conducted an on the spot assessment of the damaged Terminal 1 wing of the airport.
The visit followed widespread public concern over the incident, which resulted in significant damage to part of the facility.
The delegation arrived at about 3:07 p.m., inspected the affected sections, and later held a closed door meeting with the FAAN management team led by the Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku.
Addressing journalists after the inspection, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Abdulfatai Buhari, commended airport authorities for their prompt response and confirmed that no lives were lost.
“We thank God that there was no loss of life, which is the most important thing. Despite the scale of the incident, FAAN and other agencies rose to the occasion,” Buhari said.
He noted that emergency protocols were activated swiftly, enabling flight operations to continue with minimal disruption.
“Flights were diverted appropriately. Some landed in Malabo and Accra, while others, including Emirates and Lufthansa, still arrived in Lagos later that night. This shows the level of preparedness and response,” he added.
Buhari emphasised that the National Assembly would avoid speculation until the investigation is concluded.
“The investigation is still in progress, and we do not want to pre-empt the outcome. Issues such as sabotage or otherwise will only be addressed after the relevant authorities complete their work,” he stated.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Abdullahi Garba, echoed the same stance, stressing that lawmakers would rely solely on the official findings before taking further action.
“Just like my senior colleague said, the investigation is ongoing, and we will wait for the same before anything can be done on this development.
“For the MD, she has done very well because within just three hours she was able to achieve stability; that is a very good one,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of FAAN’s Board, Abdullahi Ganduje, praised the airport management for what he described as a timely and effective emergency response, noting that it helped avert casualties and ensured operational continuity at the country’s busiest airport.
