General News
Best Emerging Airport: An Award That Says It All

“Ladies and gentlemen, the award for the Best emerging airport – Africa region goes to … Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria …”
As the crowd broke into a thunderous applause, Engr. Saleh Dunoma, managing director and chief executive officer, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), rose gracefully and walked to the stage under the klieg lights to receive the award in far away Abu Dhabi, UAE, at the 4th Annual Emerging Airports Conference and Exhibition on April 10, 2014.
Being a silent achiever who avoids the spotlight, this was one moment he could not avoid, as the Sheiks adjusted their veils to catch a glimpse of the ‘emerging airport’ from Africa.
Providence has just thrown him onto the world stage!
Though he had just been recently appointed the MD of FAAN, Saleh was the man criss-crossing the length and breadth of Nigeria as Director of Projects, supervising the remodelling of 22 airports across the country for the past two years.
He was the unseen hand that was silently moulding the concept of the Airport Remodelling Project into reality. So it was a twist of fate that he was the one to receive this award to MMIA as MD/CEO of FAAN.
As the then Director of Projects of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, it was his brief to supervise the massive Airport Remodelling Project.
The significance of that project is that it is the most ambitious airport development project since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, after the Aerodrome Development Programme of the mid 1970s.
The MMIA which won the country that award, benefitted immensely from the project under Engr. Dunoma’s methodical supervision.
Apart from the reconstruction of its old GAT into an ultra modern domestic terminal, the international terminal of the airport has also been expanded to about double its original size and fitted with ultra modern facilities.
In addition, a new international terminal is being constructed close to the existing terminal in preparation for making the airport a major regional hub.
Dunoma, a 1979 Building Engineering graduate of ABU, Zaria joined FAAN in 1980 and has since served the Authority in various sensitive capacities.
At various times, he acted as Airport Manager, Kaduna Airport and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, respectively in 2000, before his appointment as substantive Airport Manager, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, a position he held until he was reassigned in 2005 to the newly created Directorate of Aviation Security and Safety as the pioneer General Manager (Technology and Capacity Building).
The diverse nature of his job in airport management provided him the unique opportunity of being exposed to several facets of airport operations.
He was appointed Director of Engineering Services in February 2009 and served in that capacity until 2012, when he was appointed Director of Projects, a position he held until his recent appointment as MD/CEO.
Since his appointment, Engr. Saleh has embarked on a marathon inspection of the remodelling project, transversing the airport landscape from Sokoto to Benin, Akure to Jos, Makurdi to Calabar, silently revolutionising airport operations in the country. There is little wonder that this is happening because he is on a familiar turf, having served both as Airport Manager and Director of Projects.
This award to MMA is yet another global acclamation of the revolution that is taking place in Nigeria’s aviation sector, as propelled by President Goodluck Jonathan Transformation Agenda in the sector.
That the award came when Nigeria officially became the 26th largest economy in the world made it more significant to potential foreign investors in the country’s aviation industry.
The sheiks in their crowns and flowing gowns struggled to catch a glimpse of this emerging market.
Nigeria’s GDP recently rose to $510 billion following the reclassification of the base year of the GDP from 1990 to 2010.
The development saw the size of the Nigeria’s economy appreciate by 11 steps to become the 26th largest economy in the world, ahead of South Africa’s which had held sway as the continent’s largest economy for some time.
The country’s aviation industry will be a major beneficiary of this economic breakthrough, especially now that new investment opportunities such as aerotropolis and the perishable cargo initiative have been introduced in the industry, under the Aviation Transformation agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Yabuku Dati is the general manager, Corporate Communications at FAAN. He wrote from Lagos
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General News
Nigeria’s BNPL Market is Projected to Value @ $2.6B by 2030

Nigeria’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is on a fast-growing trajectory and is predicted to be valued $2.61 billion by 2030, up 83% from $1.42 billion in 2024, owing primarily to the rapid emergence of fintechs in the country.
This observation was stated in EnterpriseNGR’s State of Enterprise 2025 report, which focuses on how fintechs are reshaping Nigeria’s business landscape through digital innovations, accessible credit systems, and mobile-first financial tools.
As a credit system, BNPL allows users to stagger payments for products and services, making it a key development driver in Nigeria’s developing digital economy.
From 2021 to 2024, the BNPL experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 23.1%. Fintechs have contributed to the rapid growth by providing a range of flexible loan alternatives for e-commerce, retail, and services, bridging financial gaps for millions of disadvantaged Nigerians.
The report highlights how fintechs have contributed to Nigeria’s flexibility and resiliency by simplifying digital payments, automating invoicing and payroll systems, and democratising credit through platforms such as Renmoney and FairMoney.
The report also shows a significant rise in remittance inflows into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2024 policy adjustments.
According to the report, by 2024, Nigeria boasted over 400 licensed digital lenders who extend collateral-free credit to those commonly excluded by banks.
General News
FG, Netherlands Partner on Digital Migration for NIS

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) strengthened bilateral relations with the Netherlands’ government through an agreement targeted at improving migration governance and border security.
This partnership was confirmed during a meeting at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by a Dutch team led by Jurgen Bartelink, Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The meeting focused on increasing bilateral migration cooperation and came after the comptroller general of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, paid a working visit to the Netherlands.
Under the agreement, the Dutch government pledged to continue supporting technology-driven solutions targeted at boosting Nigeria’s border control systems and improving migration management.
During the Netherlands Embassy diplomats handed over essential operational tools, such as Edison Software licence keys and the Passport Examination Programme Manual App.
According to NIS spokeswoman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, “The partnership focuses on enhancing bilateral collaboration on migration management and reviewing ongoing capacity-building efforts.”
Bartelink, Chargé d’Affaires of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, underlined the Netherlands’ commitment to helping Nigeria’s continuing border security and migration reforms.
Also speaking, Rob Bokhoven, head of international affairs, repatriation, and deportation services at the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, emphasised the country’s strong bilateral relations and announced plans to share a mobile border software solution with the NIS.
Receiving the equipment, Nandap said the delivery of the gadgets would boost West African country’s border security, significantly improve the service’s document verification border management capabilities and support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy.
“The engagement will further reinforce the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands advancing shared goals in migration governance, border security and international cooperation,” she added.
General News
AfDB Cuts Nigeria’s Growth Projection to 3.2%

Peter Enogb, principal country economist, African Development Bank (AfDB), says the rise in global uncertainty, emanating from increases in global trade tariffs, has slowed Nigeria’s projected growth to 3.2% in 2025.
“Without this level of heightened uncertainty, our projections would probably have been somewhat higher. We’ve reduced our projections for Nigeria. We initially were projecting 3.5% – 3.6% growth in 2025.
“But given the current situation, our models are showing that we’re taking a more cautious approach. So that’s why we produced this and, of course, the main driver is uncertainty in the global economy,” Enogb said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Country Focus Report (CFR) on Thursday.
AFDB projected that real GDP growth would hit 3.1% in 2026. Following the 2024 consumer price index (CPI) rebasing, with lower weights for food items, the inflation rate is expected to reduce over the medium term to 24.7% in 2025 and 17.3% in 2026.
As imports start to rise over the medium term, the current account is projected to decline to 3.9% of GDP in 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month to 22.97% in May. This is down from 24.48% at the start of the year
This is contrary to the World Bank projection that Nigeria’s economy would record steady growth of 3.6% despite the shift in the global trade dynamics.
Joseph Ogebe, head of research and development at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), also said that global uncertainty had been very high in recent times, resulting from the Trump 2.0 effect.
“And also with the recent war between Israel and the international community, we’ve seen what’s happening to oil prices. Even with the call-off of the war, we’ve seen the effect on oil prices too, which has implications on the fiscal side. So it has implications for the general economy,” he said.
The head of research at NESG said that rather than focusing on just growth, what should be looked at is a strategy called growth with depth.
“Growth with depth means that your growth must be diversified, export-led, productive, and technologically driven,” he said.
Ogebe said that if the Government works towards adopting a strategy of growth with depth, there is a tendency for the government to move towards its goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The report revealed that the country’s recent policy moves, including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax reforms, reflect a commitment to long-term transformation.
However, it also pointed out that at about 13%, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in West Africa, noting that fiscal reforms are urgent.
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