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By Chinelo Obogo
Following the fire incident that affected critical air-ground communication infrastructure at the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has deployed a mobile control tower to replace the destroyed facility.
Speaking during its on-site inspection, the Director of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services, Terese Ihenacho, noted that the deployment marked a significant operational milestone, highlighting NAMA’s resilience and unwavering commitment to ensuring the continuity of safe and efficient air navigation services in Nigeria’s busiest aviation hub. She commended the dedication and technical expertise of NAMA personnel whose efforts ensured the timely delivery and operational readiness of the tower.
“As you can see, the mobile tower is fully operational and serviceable. All necessary test runs have been successfully completed, and air traffic controllers are ready to commence operations at any moment,” she said.
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Ihenacho further revealed that the control tower has been reconfigured to meet Nigeria’s unique operational demands, incorporating local innovations that enhance efficiency and safety and that the integration of a smart strip system alongside the traditional manual strip reflects a forward-looking approach to modern air traffic management.
“The way it was manufactured is not the way we are using it. We have restructured it to suit our local peculiarities. There is now seamless connectivity to Centrex and TRACON, which did not exist before. This is part of our innovation to meet global standards,” she explained.
NAMA has also concluded arrangements to deploy a second control tower to service Runway 18R with Ihenacho saying that the siting of the additional tower would be determined in collaboration with key aviation stakeholders, including air traffic controllers, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), to ensure optimal safety positioning.
She clarified that the deployment of the mobile tower forms part of NAMA’s broader contingency and resilience strategy, originally conceived as a backup solution to mitigate potential disruptions arising from infrastructure upgrades or environmental constraints affecting the main control tower.
The agency has also implemented critical support infrastructure at the site, including enhanced lighting powered by solar energy, reinforced structural bracing to withstand environmental conditions, additional power supply systems, and comprehensive security coverage with CCTV surveillance.
