The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has disclosed that the reason the water main at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, collapsed last week, causing water taps to run dry at the country’s gateway, is because it was built in 1978 and was not serviced or changed for 33 years.
FAAN was reacting to a story published in P.M.NEWS on Friday 10 June which described the agony air travellers went through at the country’s busiest airport on 8 and 9 June after the water main collapsed in the evening of 7 June.
FAAN in a statement signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Akin Olukunle, while extending the management’s apologies to Nigerians, explained that a burst in the 200mm water main was traced to fatigue and pressure of the slumping pipe.
“The existing copper-cast water main and network were installed in 1978. At over 32 years old, they have outlived their life-cycle.
“Being the only vehicle for water transportation to the international terminal and with a delivery rate of 200m3/hr under a pressure of six bars, it would have been impossible to carry out any maintenance/repair without having to shut the pumps.
“While the repair/replacement lasted, a number of water tankers were deployed at strategic locations of the terminal to minimise the temporary hardship experienced by passengers and other airport users. The Authority regrets any inconveniences caused by the unfortunate incident,” Olukunle said.
He said that the Water Sewage Department has fixed the problem, thereby restoring normalcy to water supply at the terminal.
Olukunle said that the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, who has headed the agency since November 2008, is working on infrastructure development of many of the 21 airports under its management.
P.M.NEWS investigations had revealed that since Tuesday 7 June when the central water supply system broke down at Nigeria’s busiest airport, convenience rooms in the facility were filled with human waste and the entire terminal building covered with awful stench.
While most passengers avoided the airport’s toilets, those who were pressed by the call of nature, made use of table water and came along with their tissue paper.
A female traveller and wife of a Nigerian serving Senator almost collapsed in the toilets when she came face to face with a heap of excreta and assailed by heavy stench.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/06/13/lagos-airport-water-main-not-serviced-for-33-years/

Shocking.

Need real education on maintenance

wow

And some clowns are saying Lagos state shouldn't build it's own airport? Dum.b i.diots.



God forbid bad thing.

This is very shameful and unacceptable. Anyway, it looks like so many things that were built around that time have been similarly abandoned, e.g. Lagos/Ibadan expressway.

Eko Ile:

And some clowns are saying Lagos state shouldn't build it's own airport? Dum.b i.diots.



God forbid bad thing.

This is not necessarily an excuse to justify lagos state building its own airport i think but anyway this incident is very shameful and justice should be done once and for all.

Ekt-bear, now, this is NIGERIA.

Now you know why some of us are skeptical about things.

welcome to nigeria, the land of wonders!

They r not even ashamed to mention it. COREN!! thousands of Graduate engineers looking for job, 33 yrs years no service, That is just one of government establishments in the country. GEJ shey u hear, This leaders make me sick.

PDP can continue with the sharing formula. Bankole and others in lower chamber shared 43 billions between August 2010 and April 2011 while  national infrastrutures continue to decay. Only God knows what was shared in the upper chamber and other sectors. This is governance per excellence.
PDP , have more  happy sharing  tenure in advance.

I will keep quiet . .cos if I say something now, they will say 'that's how we do it here'

smh

Not

I'm sure the contract for the maintenance of those pipies have been awarded and executed like 75million times.

33 Years ago my mother was still a virgin, but ryt now she is a great grandmother.

How long do we have to wait for everything to crumble before we begin to use "Fire Brigade Approach" to solve simple problems that ordinary maintenance would have averted. Pray! My Beloved Country, Pray!

^^^

Like I said earlier, someone has been getting paid for the maintenance for the past 33 years . .no be naija??

Pharoh:

This is not necessarily an excuse to justify lagos state building its own airport i think but anyway this incident is very shameful and justice should be done once and for all.

It would be hard to find a better example (short of a catastrophic event) of why a state with the ambitions of Lagos needs it's own public infastructure so that it can do away with the waste of the center (and it's useless Ministries). 33 friggin years! This is the number one airport in the country. 33 FRIGGIN YEARS! Words fail me.

 

33 years ago on the que in heaven ready to come to the world.

naija still on the matter

Pharoh:

This is not necessarily an excuse to justify lagos state building its own airport i think but anyway this incident is very shameful and justice should be done once and for all.

I was going to ask you why, but you're gonna end up boring me with the same lame and backward rubbish.

such things re know more newz in 9ja.

shebi pure water and bottled water still dey sha

stories, if it were to be money they will know how to share it

smart nigerians

Eko Ile:


I was going to ask you why, but you're gonna end up boring me with the same lame and backward rubbish.

Haba, he didn't attack you na, he merely expressed his opinion.

That said, I agree with you. The MM IA is a source of eternal embarrassment to Lagos and Nigeria. A new airport run more efficiently by the LSG may be in order.

texazzpete:

Haba, he didn't attack you na, he merely expressed his opinion.

That said, I agree with you. The MM IA is a source of eternal embarrassment to Lagos and Nigeria. A new airport run more efficiently by the LSG may be in order.

Obviously, mine was an opinion too.

The fact is, we see everyday what the federal government is doing with our future and destiny.

Only a foolish and irresponsible government/state depends on, hands over it's peoples development, growth and financial future to a crooked, corrupt and incompetent federal government like ours.

The federal government shouldn't be in the Airport business anyways, they are holding on to many of these federal entities simply just to loot and enrich themselves, never to run them efficiently and make work for the people.

ekt_bear:

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has disclosed that the reason the water main at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, collapsed last week, causing water taps to run dry at the country’s gateway, is because it was built in 1978 and was not serviced or changed for 33 years.
FAAN was reacting to a story published in P.M.NEWS on Friday 10 June which described the agony air travellers went through at the country’s busiest airport on 8 and 9 June after the water main collapsed in the evening of 7 June.
FAAN in a statement signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Akin Olukunle, while extending the management’s apologies to Nigerians, explained that a burst in the 200mm water main was traced to fatigue and pressure of the slumping pipe.
“The existing copper-cast water main and network were installed in 1978. At over 32 years old, they have outlived their life-cycle.
“Being the only vehicle for water transportation to the international terminal and with a delivery rate of 200m3/hr under a pressure of six bars, it would have been impossible to carry out any maintenance/repair without having to shut the pumps.
“While the repair/replacement lasted, a number of water tankers were deployed at strategic locations of the terminal to minimise the temporary hardship experienced by passengers and other airport users. The Authority regrets any inconveniences caused by the unfortunate incident,” Olukunle said.
He said that the Water Sewage Department has fixed the problem, thereby restoring normalcy to water supply at the terminal.
Olukunle said that the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, who has headed the agency since November 2008, is working on infrastructure development of many of the 21 airports under its management.
P.M.NEWS investigations had revealed that since Tuesday 7 June when the central water supply system broke down at Nigeria’s busiest airport, convenience rooms in the facility were filled with human waste and the entire terminal building covered with awful stench.
While most passengers avoided the airport’s toilets, those who were pressed by the call of nature, made use of table water and came along with their tissue paper.
A female traveller and wife of a Nigerian serving Senator almost collapsed in the toilets when she came face to face with a heap of excreta and assailed by heavy stench.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/06/13/lagos-airport-water-main-not-serviced-for-33-years/

Really, then she should ask her 1 million naira a day husband if his wages could be better spent elsewhere. And by the way where was she traveling to.

33 years: 1978 - 2011

China's GDP jumped from $147.3bn (£94.55bn) in 1978 to about $5.0Trillion 

The number of poor people in China dropped from 250 million in 1978 to 14.8 million in 2007



33 years is too long to stagnate

in a country where one person steals N50 billion?

I was in a building in the Us and this building was built in 1879 . its not that the building is still standing but everything is working fine u can tell from the outside that  it is very old but, it is better than most of our infrastructure/buildings  that was built a year ago. We lack maintenance culture. If a street/traffic light goes bad it is fixed immediately in developed country but if na Naija my children and great grand children go see that one. This Bring me to the issue of Nepa/phcn the government and Nepa officails are not serious in giving us light.  Even if is 4hours of constant light we can get everyday what stop them from putting a time schedule for example:
MON- electricity -9- 12pm
Tue- no light in the night 3-7pm ,

What a useless country

when nigerians dey shout everywhere say dem smart if u question dem dem go wan kill u