As part of activities to mark the 16th anniversary of existence Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two, Ikeja Lagos (MMA2), the operators, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), has opened a state of Arts Gallery within the airport gateway.
The event was held on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at the best operated airport terminal in Nigeria.
Management of the company affirmed that the art gallery was opened at MMA2 to project Nigerian arts and culture; promote innovation and make it a platform for young artists to interact with art enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
The gallery prominently featured the works of Wilson Agu who is regarded as one of the best artists Nigeria can proud of.
Speaking after inspection of the works of arts on display in the gallery, Chairman of Bi-Courtney group of companies, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN) said a lot of efforts have been put in place for the trrminal building maintain its globally acknowledged standards since 2007 when it was commissioned.
According to Babalakin, the decision to maintain global standards at the terminal boiled down to discipline and a deliberate plan to design it in a way that makes it functions properly.
He said it’s easy for passengers to operate seamlessly at the MMA2 terminal because the terminal was designed by some of the best architects in the world.
“The design was a major assignment, we didn’t just start building. We sat down with the best of architects in the world to design a terminal that will have the flow. It is the flow that has made it easy for you to operate seamlessly here.
“You can see the link between the car park and the terminal, so you’re not going through a disjointed journey because you want to travel. You can see that from where you come up the escalator; it’s a seamless process till you board the plane,” Babalakin said.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria further attributed the success of the MMA2 terminal to the discipline the operator of the terminal enforces on passengers.
“You can also see that we’ve been very disciplined. We disallowed passengers from walking on our tarmac; we bus them, or find a way of transporting them. We think that it is backward to have passengers roaming about in the terminal because it’s dangerous. It only takes one accident and the country will be embarrassed”.
Describing the gallery as the parlour of the airport, Agu while addressing journalists said the gallery is expected to be a projector of Nigerian cultures.
“This is to have a platform where art can live, thrive and interact with people. There will be different aspects of this gallery. There will be a normal component where we will sell art, interact with it and expose it to the people. There will also be a place for collectors, but the most important thing is that we want to use this platform to celebrate our own and encourage people”, he said
