Uncertainty continues to trail the construction of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following the Federal Government’s decision to allocate only ₦10 million for the project in the 2026 budget.
The allocation comes after the government rejected a proposed ₦532 billion cost for the runway, raising concerns about the seriousness of the project’s implementation.
The second runway project was first announced in April 2009 with an estimated cost of ₦64 billion under the then Minister of Aviation, Babatunde Omotoba. The proposed 4.5-kilometre runway was designed to accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777, with Category III airfield lighting.
Under former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, the contract was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), and by 2023, the project cost had risen to ₦90 billion.
In 2024, the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed that CCECC requested a contract variation that would increase the cost to ₦532 billion, citing inflation and foreign exchange challenges. Keyamo rejected the proposal, describing the ₦442 billion increase as excessive.
Addressing concerns over the ₦10 million budget allocation, Keyamo explained that such token provisions are often used to keep large projects active in the budget cycle while alternative funding sources are explored.
He said the budget figure does not reflect the actual cost of the project and added that the Federal Government, with the approval of President Bola Tinubu, is pursuing alternative financing arrangements outside the normal budget process.
“We will do the second runway, and we will deliver it,” Keyamo assured.
Meanwhile, the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, declined further comments, noting that budget preparation is handled by civil servants under the supervision of the permanent secretary.
