MMA Gets Hotel

Tuesday, October 4 2005.

Aviation Minister, Professor Babalola Borishade, has said the construction of a 4-star hotel at the Murtala Muhammed Airport underscores government’s desire to commercialize the aviation sector.

The minister at the foundation laying ceremony of 162 – room hotel at the domestic wing of the airport noted that the hotel would be part of fulfillment to provide a state-of-the-art terminal for the benefit of air travelers.

He stated that the airport, which would complement the new domestic airport still under construction, lends credence to the belief of the federal government that the private sector should play a prominent role in the provision of services infrastructure to drive the wheel of the economy.

According to the minister, “It has been the cardinal objective of this administration to divert from areas of investment of which the private sector has comparative advantage.”

Professor Borishade explained that since the domestic terminal occupies an important place in the country’s aviation industry, the comparative advantage, which the 4-star hotel provides, underscores its importance.

He expressed particular optimism that the 4-star hotel as part of the terminal building project would position the Murtala Muhammed Airport as a regional hub, capable of meeting all the demands of travelers.

Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Engr. Mohammed Gambo said the hotel, a novel development at the airport, introduces a new dimension to the provision of services that are comparable in standard to similar facilities in other parts of the world.

He said the developments within the aviation industry in the past years had been and already yielding positive results as reflected in passenger and cargo traffic.

Gambo noted that the various programmes put in place by FAAN for the realization of government’s objective especially in making the Murtala Muhammed Airport a regional hub and consumer-friendly are being implemented in phases.
The hotel according to Wale Babalakin, Chairman of Stabilini Visionai, is meant to supplement the construction of the domestic airport.

Upon completion, the hotel would consist of two presidential suites, two royal suites and standard suites.