As NAMA Finally Deployed, Activated Mobile Control Tower

Three weeks after fire gutted the Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and wrought extensive damage to communication and navigation equipment used at the control tower, another control tower has been deployed, writes Chinedu Eze.

One of the major impacts of the fire that gutted the Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, known as old terminal was the inability to continue to use the control tower, imbedded in the terminal. After the fire, it was put into disuse because of the severe damage done on many floors of the terminal before the control tower and also the damage of the communication and navigation equipment of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), which provides communication, navigation and surveillance services at the airports. The agency’s functions include guiding every aircraft in Nigeria’s airspace safely to its destination.

While NAMA quickly sought alternative to the control tower by moving to the tower of the Fire Station of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the agency knew the urgent need to have another control tower at the nation’s busiest airport, so it got ready to deploy one of its mobile control towers.

But according to the agency, it didn’t know it would take up to three weeks before it could mount the mobile tower. This is because China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) handling the reconstruction of the old terminal and which set up the scaffold where the mobile tower was to be mounted, said that after casting the concrete, it would take about three weeks to set.

But on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, NAMA deployed and activated the mobile control tower. NAMA explained in a statement yesterday that it had successfully deployed a Mobile Control Tower at the Lagos airport, “in a swift and strategic response to the recent fire incident that affected critical air-ground communication infrastructure at the old terminal.”

Operational milestone

After testing the equipment, the Director of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services, Terese Ihenacho, explained that the deployment of the equipment 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.

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. Notably, the integration of a smart strip system alongside the traditional manual strip reflecting 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.

Second Control Tower

The agency also disclosed that in a proactive move to further strengthen operational redundancy and safety, NAMA had concluded arrangements to deploy a second Mobile Control Tower to service Runway 18R (domestic runway of the Lagos airport) in order to have comprehensive coverage of the Lagos airport.

However, Ihenacho emphasized 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), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), to ensure optimal safety positioning.

She further explained 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.

“Beyond technical deployment, 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.

 Ihenacho also highlighted ongoing efforts to improve the welfare and working conditions of air traffic controllers and technical staff operating at the temporary facility, noting that discussions are underway with relevant authorities to provide essential amenities and support services.

She commended the extraordinary commitment of NAMA staff, describing them as “heroes” who worked tirelessly under challenging conditions, often at personal risk, to restore operational stability, stressing that the successful deployment of the Mobile Control Tower highlights the agency’s unwavering dedication to the safety and efficiency of the Nigerian airspace.

Providing efficient service

The fire which gutted the terminal on February 23, 2026, extensively damaged communication and navigation equipment of the agency, as well as that of other agencies, especially the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), which drastically affected the operations of these organizations.

However, NAMA said that despite that challenge, is still effectively managed the airspace, disclosing that the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) (used to exchange essential, safety-critical text messages between aviation entities, such as air traffic services, airports, and airlines), which was damaged by the fire, was fully restored and put in use, with Aeronautical Information Service personnel currently working from the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) complex.

“Following the recent fire incident at the Aerodrome Control Tower of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NAMA immediately activated contingency measures to ensure the uninterrupted provision of air navigation services. As part of these measures, the Agency initiated arrangements for the deployment of a Mobile Control Tower to serve as a temporary operational facility while restoration efforts on the main tower continue. 

“However, the installation of aviation control infrastructure cannot be undertaken in a hurry or in an improvised manner. Such facilities must comply with strict engineering and operational standards designed to safeguard aircraft operations.

“First, the location chosen for the Mobile Control Tower must provide optimal visual coverage of the runway, taxiways and other critical portions of the airfield. This requirement is essential to enable air traffic controllers maintain effective situational awareness in managing aircraft movements on the ground and within the aerodrome environment,” NAMA said.

 The control tower is a safety critical facility in any airport, where air traffic controllers monitor and determine the movement of every aircraft on runways, taxiways, the terminals and all over the aerodrome.

Damages

Few days after the fire incident, the Managing Director of NAMA, Farouk Ahmed Umar, addressed journalists after inspecting the damaged terminal and said that the fire completely destroyed air-to-ground communication equipment and some navigational aids.

In order to ensure continuous management of the airspace, Umar said air traffic controllers now use back-up equipment, just as the agency was making effort to mount mobile tower as alternative to the existing one, partly destroyed by the fire.

“The fire has affected our air to ground communication completely. What we are using to sustain air tactic service now is the backup. We have a lot to do when we are out of the situation. What we have seen is a huge loss as far as communication is concerned. Other air traffic services were really disrupted. So, we had no option at that time than to suspend inbound aircraft into Lagos,” he said.

Delay

THISDAY gathered that the major factor that caused the delay in the deployment of the mobile tower was the building of the framework the tower would be placed on. From all indications, the agency di did not know that building such platform would take some time.

“The scaffolding on which the mobile tower would be deployed would have to ‘solidify’ before the equipment would be mounted on it. That it is the solidification that is taking time. The civil work done on where the tower will be deployed needs to be set before you mount it. I cannot explain why it is taking this long but this is what I learnt as the reason delaying it. So, it will take time to be ready but we have the mobile tower; in fact, we have more than one mobile tower,” NAMA official told THISDAY before the equipment was deployed.

Now that the tower has been deployed, NAMA has solicited to use Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) building near the location of the mobile tower as rest room, which will serve as accommodation for overnight workers of the agency.

“We have made request for them to give us the building so we use it as rest facility. I know they will oblige us,” optimistic NAMA official told THISDAY, indicating the cooperation between aviation agencies.