Wender·Vista
Murtala Muhammed International Airport
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNigeria
in Ikeja, on the mainland north of Lagos Island

Murtala Muhammed International Airport

— — the gate through which most of West Africa moves.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The busiest airport in West Africa, in Ikeja on the Lagos mainland. Murtala Muhammed serves more than eight million passengers a year through two terminals, one international and one domestic. The airport opened under its current name in 1979 and carries the name of General Murtala Muhammed, head of state in 1975 and 1976. The runways run east to west across the flat coastal plain north of the lagoon.

from the studio
Murtala Muhammed International Airport
— bring it home

Murtala Muhammed International Airport, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Murtala Muhammed International Airport

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Murtala Muhammed International Airport sits in Ikeja, a district of mainland Lagos about 22 kilometres north of Lagos Island and the Atlantic coast. The IATA code is LOS and the ICAO designator is DNMM. The international terminal was completed in 1979 and renamed for General Murtala Muhammed, the Nigerian head of state assassinated in 1976. The domestic terminal, known as MMA2, is operated under concession by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services and opened in 2007. The airport is the primary international gateway for Nigeria and the busiest in West Africa.

— the year

The airport was renamed in 1976 for General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, who served as Nigerian head of state from July 1975 until his assassination in February 1976 during an attempted coup. He is remembered for the brevity and reform agenda of his government. The original international terminal opened three years later, in 1979. The privately operated domestic terminal, MMA2, was built after a 2000 fire destroyed the previous domestic facility, and opened in 2007. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria operates the rest of the site.

— the visit

The airport handles more than eight million passengers a year across both terminals and is the primary international hub for Nigeria. The international terminal serves long-haul carriers to Europe, North America, the Gulf, and other African capitals; the domestic terminal connects Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu. Ground transport into central Lagos takes anywhere from forty minutes to several hours depending on traffic on the airport road. The closest urban anchor is Ikeja City Mall, about three kilometres east of the international terminal.

— where
Nigeria · Ikeja, Lagos State
— elevation
41 m · 135 ft
— position
6.5774° N · 3.3211° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km E
Ikeja
city district
22 km S
Lagos Island
historic island
30 km SE
Lekki
coastal district
15 km S
Third Mainland Bridge
lagoon bridge
N
Murtala Muhammed International Airport
Ikeja
Lagos Island
Lekki
Third Mainland Bridge
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Murtala Muhammed International Airport — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was Nigeria's head of state from July 1975 until his assassination in February 1976. The airport was renamed in his honour later that year.

The IATA code is LOS and the ICAO designator is DNMM. Both refer to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, on the mainland north of Lagos Island.

Two main passenger terminals. The international terminal opened in 1979 and is run by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. MMA2, the domestic terminal, opened in 2007 under a Bi-Courtney concession.

Murtala Muhammed handles more than eight million passengers a year across both terminals and is the busiest airport in West Africa. It is the primary international hub for Nigeria.

The international terminal opened in 1979, three years after the airport was renamed for General Muhammed. It has been expanded and refurbished several times since, most recently with a new concourse.

About 22 kilometres. Ground transport ranges from forty minutes in light traffic to several hours during rush hours on the airport road and the Third Mainland Bridge into the island.

— about the piece in your home

For Nigerians abroad, the airport is the threshold of every homecoming. The piece resonates with the diaspora, with crew based at LOS, and with anyone whose first or last memory of Nigeria is this gate.

The deep blacks and warm ambers settle into Afro-modern interiors, Jewel-tone Maximalist rooms, and warmer Industrial palettes. It pairs with brass, dark wood, and saturated wall colour.

Yes. The piece sits with the current Afro-modern movement that pairs West African textile and pattern with cleaner contemporary lines. It belongs alongside aso oke, indigo, and hand-thrown ceramics.

A single Large covers most sofas. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural or 9-tile Mural extends the composition. The Medium suits a console or entry shelf.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin or Matte for rooms with steam or splash. Both finishes resist scratching and clean the same way as the Glossy show-piece tile.

Microfibre cloth with water. No solvents and no abrasive pads. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift with normal household cleaning.

Yes. Reid Wender curates and finishes every piece in our Knoxville studio. The Murtala Muhammed Airport painting is original to WenderVista and not licensed from any outside source.

— if this one stayed with you

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