The Labour Party (LP) on Monday criticised the Federal Government’s plan to spend N712 billion on the renovation of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The party described the move as “outrageous and insensitive,” especially at a time when the National Bureau of Statistics reported that 133 million Nigerians—or 63% of the population—are multidimensionally poor.

“This is not just wicked; it is satanic and speaks to a gross disregard for the plight of the masses,” the party’s interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, stated.

Usman’s spokesperson, Mr. Ken Asogwa, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the money should have been budgeted for projects that have a direct impact on the lives of poor Nigerians, rather than being spent to sustain the luxurious lifestyle of the elite.

“To withdraw this lifeline from the poor only to channel the proceeds into a luxury terminal accessible exclusively to the rich is a new low in governmental wickedness.

“The APC government has completely abandoned all pretence of empathy or sound governance. One wonders why a project of this nature, with clear commercial viability, could not be executed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model,” the chairman noted.

The LP further stated, “Even more appalling is the minister’s (Festus Keyamo) disclosure that the so-called Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, from which this project will be financed, is made up of savings from the removal of fuel subsidy—the only meaningful benefit the average Nigerian had derived from our God-given fossil fuel resources.”

According to the party, “Around the world, terminal buildings are revenue-generating investments. Why not invite private capital, especially when the return on investment is self-sustaining, instead of squandering subsidy savings on an elitist project that benefits only a fraction of the population?

“Let us ask: how many Nigerians, stripped of the benefits of the subsidy era, even use air travel today? What business do they have with airport terminals when basic transportation, healthcare, and food are now luxuries beyond their reach?”

The statement also noted that it was unsurprising that the government continued to spend on projects that do not address the immediate needs of the masses, citing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road as another example.

The party described the coastal road as “a white elephant project estimated at N15 trillion (about $12 billion), costing taxpayers an outrageous N4 billion per kilometre. Misplaced priorities are clearly the signature of this administration.”

The statement added, “Our findings across Africa, Asia, and Europe reveal several instances where brand-new, state-of-the-art airports have been constructed from the ground up at costs well below $475 million. How then does this government justify blowing such a colossal amount of public funds on a mere renovation?

“If this doesn’t shock the conscience of Nigerians, we truly wonder what will.” (Nigerian Tribune)