15th May, 2012
A major tragedy was averted on Monday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, after a 45-minute power outage left many people trapped in lifts with some of them gasping for breath.
The incident happened barely two months after the management of FAAN led by Mr. George Uriesi, assured Nigerians that power outage at Nigeria’s gateway was a thing of the past.
It also occurred only weeks after dire and constant power cuts at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, paralysed activities there.
Yesterday’s incident happened at about 12.30 pm when many airport users were in the lifts of the six-storey building, leading to chaos and panic.
Sources said that people with breathing problems such as Asthma were badly affected during the incident.
At least 50 people were said to have been trapped in the motionless and dark old lifts.
The incident occurred as a result of the power seizure by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, and the failure of the backup generating sets to function.
Power cuts have been regular at Nigerian airports in recent times, prompting the National Assembly to excoriate the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah over her inability to fix things.
—Simon Ateba