The Nigerian Aviation Fire and Safety Association on Wednesday said that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State building was in need of rehabilitation or a total overhaul.
Chairman of the association, Sunday Ugbeikwu, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday.
He spoke on how to check recurrent fire incidents at the airports.
Ugbeikwu said that the airport building was over 40 years old and needed rehabilitation or an overhaul.
According to him, this will contribute in checking recurrence of fire incidents from its roots.
He said that the fire equipment at the airport was up to standard and could fight any level of household fire when deployed.
The association chairman said that the growing number of concessionaires around the airport came with its problems, including overloading of the electricity system.
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Ugbeikwu said: “It is really not about the equipment at this point in time.
“It is much more about the building.
“The equipment we have presently can handle any category of domestic fire.
“It is more about the building itself, talking about MMIA.
“MMIA has been there for over 40 years.
“What that means is that it has been long overdue for a rehabilitation, remodeling or total overhauling.”
Ugbeikwu said that most of the concessionaire points and the shops seen around in MMIA were not in the original master plan.
He added: “So, most of the shop owners kept dragging wires here and there, thereby overloading the system.
“And when you overload the system, it becomes a potent danger.
“Wires tend to heat up, and whenever there is heat, there is going to be an imminent fire outbreak or what you call spark that results in an outbreak.
“That is why we are recommending a rehabilitation of the MMIA to a more modern airport.”
Ugbeikwu also said that there was the need for more fire personnel as aviation or aircraft fire required more technicalities than domestic fire.
He said: “Well, we always urge operators to employ more personnel because we are not yet enough.
“As a matter of fact, the minimum standards that were set by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority have not been met.
“So, in a nutshell, what I will tell you is: There is an urgent need for recruitment of more firefighters.”
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