Gateway airport will put Ogun on global map – Abiodun

The Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport in Ogun State is expected to receive official licensing for commercial operations this week, Governor Dapo Abiodun has said.

The governor said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had concluded inspections and was ready to issue certifications not previously granted to any other airport in the country.

“The approval that your airport will get, no other airports in Nigeria have that approval,” he said, quoting NCAA officials.

The airport, located in Iperu-Remo, is designed to serve as an alternative to Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) for both passenger and cargo traffic. It will be able to receive flights diverted from Lagos, which are often rerouted to Ghana due to congestion or weather.

Initial passenger services will connect Ogun to Abuja and Port Harcourt. Plans for international operations include two weekly cargo flights from London by a British company, focusing on agricultural exports.

The 4-kilometre runway, among the longest in West Africa, can handle large aircraft including Boeing 747s and Airbus A330s. It is equipped with Category I approach lighting, Precision Approach Path Indicators and other advanced landing systems.

Construction of the airport began under Abiodun’s administration. By April 2025, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency had completed runway checks and flight validation. President Bola Tinubu visited in July and described the project as a “working reality.”

Charter flights began operations late last year.

The site is 80 kilometres from MMIA and connected by major highways to Lagos ports. It is part of an integrated development plan that includes nearby free trade zones offering customs and tax incentives.

Abiodun said the project would improve Ogun’s economic profile and reduce pressure on Lagos’s aviation infrastructure.