MMA2 gets art gallery as Bi-Courtney celebrates 16th anniversary

According to the management of the company, 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. 

Shortly after he was taken around the gallery by Wilson Agu, whose artworks feature prominently in the exhibition room, the Chairman of the company, Dr Wale Babalakin spoke about the efforts that went into making MMA2 a working terminal for 16 years.

According to him, 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. 

Babalakin said it’s easy for passengers to operate seamlessly at the MMA2 terminal because it 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 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 when 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 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 operating on our tarmac we bus them, or find a way of transporting them. We think that it is backward to have passengers walking 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.

Some of the artworks in the galley are about women, culture, Africa and comments about Nigeria.