In a country where deadlines often mean delays, the surprise reopening of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport a day ahead of schedule will rightfully be declared a success.
For six weeks, passengers were rerouted to a tiny airport in the northern city of Kaduna.
Fears of utter chaos and kidnappings on the road to Abuja never materialised.
But the fact the capital was without a functioning airport for more than a month highlights the state of Nigeria’s crumbling infrastructure.
Ethiopian Airlines is expected to be the first international carrier to touch down on the tarmac later today.
Other major international airlines, which refused to fly into Kaduna, are now taking bookings for flights to the Nigerian capital for later in the week