President Muhammadu Buhari has said the newly-commissioned international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos will create 3000 direct and indirect employment jobs for Nigerian youth.
Buhari said this as he commissioned the new terminal on Tuesday.
“This improvement will increase airport operation and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum. With a positive multiplier effect by creating 3000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for our youth,” Mr Buhari said.
The president said the terminal will increase inflow of foreign direct investment and exponential growth in the Growth Domestic Product (GDP).
According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s unemployment increased to 33.30 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020 from 27.10 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.
However, in the long-term, the unemployment rate in the country is projected to trend around 32.00 percent in 2022 and 30.00 percent in 2023.
The president said his government has been “deliberate and consistent in identifying and investing in critical projects that will improve the standard of living of our people as well as contribute immensely to our growth and development of our nation.”
“Our investment in inter-state railway connectivity, road network, agriculture, power and telecommunications, just to mention a few, have been unprecedented,” he said.
He said his administration prioritised the completion of five new international airport terminals which were at 11 per cent completion level when he came to power in 2015.
“We have also complemented these robust initiatives with sophisticated physical policies to drive aviation infrastructure. These included the designation of four airports; Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Portharcourt as free trade zones in which custom duty is not applicable, the removal of VAT on all forms of shared transportation including air transportation and exemption of commercial aircraft and spare parts from VAT payments,” Buhari said.
