After nearly two decades of failing to deliver the second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, the Federal Government has stunned members of the public with a fresh ₦10 million allocated to the project in the 2026 budget proposal. This, according to observers and industry stakeholders, has created more uncertainties about the …
17 years after Failing to Deliver, FG Allocates Fresh ₦10m for Abuja Airport Second Runway
After nearly two decades of failing to deliver the second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, the Federal Government has stunned members of the public with a fresh ₦10 million allocated to the project in the 2026 budget proposal.
This, according to observers and industry stakeholders, has created more uncertainties about the Federal Government’s commitment to constructing a second runway for the Abuja International Airport, 17 years after it was first proposed.
The second runway project, which was first proposed in 2009, has received a series of budgetary approvals but continues to suffer delays and non-execution under various administrations.
The project was first awarded to Julius Berger in 2009 at an estimated cost of ₦64 billion under the then Minister of Aviation, Babatunde Omotoba. The plan was for a 4.5-kilometre runway designed to handle the large aircraft such as A350, B777, B787 Dreamliner, and A380.
It was also estimated to be 75 metres wide and fitted with Category III airfield lighting.
However, almost two decades later, the project is yet to make any significant headway.
Between 2017 and 2022, about ₦65 billion was allocated for the project – ₦10 billion in 2017, ₦8 billion in 2018, ₦13 billion in 2019, ₦14 billion in 2021 and ₦20 billion in 2022.
Subsequently, the Federal Government approved about ₦92 billion for the construction of the runway in 2022, with an expected 12-month completion timeline.
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Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, also signed a contract with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to handle the project at a cost of ₦90 billion.
The project generated fresh debate in 2025 after the cancellation of a ₦532 billion contract variation proposed by the contractor, CCECC.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had, while defending the ministry’s 2025 budget, said he declined to approve a contractor’s request for a ₦532 billion adjustment to the contract for the second runway at the Abuja International Airport.
“The variation from N90 billion, they are proposing N532 billion, I will not accept it. The option I have is to cancel the contract. From N90 billion to N532 billion within a space of two years, to do a second runway, I will not accept it,” Keyamo had stated while defending the 2025 budget of the ministry before the Senate Committee on Aviation.
The minister then said he would invite fresh bidding for the construction of the second runway, arguing that increasing the contract figure from ₦90 billion to ₦532 billion within two years was outrageous.
Industry stakeholders had stressed that it was necessary to construct the second runway to manage surging passenger traffic, reduce flight delays/disruptions and ensure safety as aircraft land and take off.
They also argued that, as the nation’s federal capital, Abuja deserves a second runway as it often hosts foreign heads of state, diplomats, and high-level summits. Currently, when the President or high-ranking dignitaries arrive or depart, the runway is often blocked, causing significant delays for commercial flights.
Experts stated that it is inconceivable for a G20-aspiring nation’s capital to rely on a single strip of asphalt, which poses a reputational risk if a visiting dignitary’s flight were to be diverted due to a runway blockage.
The land acquired for the runway project is 12,000 hectares, handed over by the Jiwa community. After the fanfare that heralded the land acquisition and subsequent compensation packages offered to members of the community with promises of economic benefits of the project to them, the project again went to the coolers after the contractor requested a review of the cost.
CCECC, it was gathered, had cited changes in the scope of the project, inflation, and foreign exchange fluctuation, among other factors, as reasons for the increase in cost.
Some months ago, a video circulated on social media showing a large expanse of land, which the narrator claimed was the land allocated for the construction of the Abuja airport’s second runway, taken over by farmers, who were busy planting corn.
This is after an ₦825 million compensation package was offered to the community, as revealed by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Commenting on the ₦10 million allocation for the project in the 2026 budget proposal, the aviation minister said the federal government would explore alternative sources to fund the project. Keyamo said the amount stated was drafted by civil servants to keep the project “alive” in the budget cycle while the government seeks major funding elsewhere.
The ₦10 million fresh allocation for the second runway project is a part of the broader ₦87 billion aviation infrastructure plan for 2026.
Keyamo said President Tinubu has directed the ministry to explore funding alternatives outside the national budget.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in mass communication.
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