Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the federal government spends over N1 billion on energy for each major airport in the country.
This significant expenditure has been flagged as one of the key areas of revenue loss for Nigeria’s airports, with Keyamo emphasising the urgent need to transition these facilities to off-grid power sources.
“We want to go full blast into off-grid power supply to these airports because that is the major source of loss of revenue at these airports,” Keyamo said. “We have to run diesel when there’s no flight landing, when there’s nobody there. We will be running the diesel the whole day—big generators—buying diesel and all of that, paying electricity bills.”
According to the Minister, the current system is not only inefficient but also unnecessarily costly, particularly during periods when airports are not operational.
“We run the generator overnight when there’s no flight,” he explained, highlighting the waste incurred during non-peak hours.
The minister also disclosed that the energy costs for major airports like Lagos and Abuja surpass N1 billion annually, a figure that could be drastically reduced with alternative energy solutions.
“We are doing far more than N1 billion for Lagos, more than N1 billion for Abuja,” he said. “It’s an open secret, and I’m fighting it.”
Keyamo underscored the government’s commitment to transitioning these airports to renewable energy, with solar power being the preferred solution.
“We need to look at going off-grid, and now we are fully ready for that,” he stated. “Using solar to run these airports will ensure we no longer have to pay these high electricity bills.”
The push for off-grid energy aligns with broader national efforts to cut costs and improve sustainability across various sectors, and the aviation sector could be one of the key beneficiaries of this shift. Keyamo’s call for action indicates a potential restructuring in airport management strategies, one that could lead to long-term savings and a more environmentally friendly operation.
The minister’s remarks offer a glimpse into the inefficiencies that have plagued Nigeria’s airport infrastructure and suggest a forward-thinking approach aimed at curbing energy expenses and enhancing profitability across the sector.
*This piece was written by Affiong Bassey