The Federal Government has commissioned the remodelled Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo Domestic Terminal at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, while approving ₦46 billion for the resurfacing and reconstruction of the airport's second runway as part of a wider drive to modernise Nigeria's aviation infrastructure.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, who commissioned the facility, said President Bola Tinubu had approved the runway funding under the Renewed Hope Agenda, describing the project as intended to position Kano among the world's leading international airports. Keyamo said about 60 percent of the contract sum had already been released and that the contractor had mobilised to site, with the resurfacing and reconstruction work expected to bring the runway's airfield lighting up to Category 2 standard to reduce weather-related flight disruptions.
Terminal Named for Aviation Pioneer
The newly upgraded domestic terminal was named after Mallam Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo, described by officials as one of Kano State's most illustrious sons and a pioneer of Nigeria's aviation industry. FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku said the remodelled terminal's upgrades covered the baggage handling system, check-in facilities, terminal interiors, passenger lounges, and air-conditioning systems, calling the project evidence of the authority's commitment to providing world-class airport facilities.
Part of a Wider Kano Investment Push
Keyamo said work had also begun on upgrading the airport's Hajj Terminal, with contractors already on site, and described Kano as the commercial hub of northern Nigeria occupying a strategic position in the country's aviation industry. Officials at the commissioning, including FAAN board chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said the runway and terminal investments were part of a broader nationwide airport modernisation programme, with similar CAT 2 airfield-lighting upgrades separately approved for Lagos's Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
