The Managing Director (MD)/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, has called on the general public to be security conscious; and for the government agencies concerned to prioritize national security over agency agendas, as multiple-layer security at airports is not enough to prevent or neutralize extant security threats.
The MD made this call during the second 2022 Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) Breakfast Business Meeting which took place yesterday August 25 at Golfview Hotel & Suites, Ikeja – Lagos.
The meeting, which was hosted by Dr. Gbenga Olowo had as theme: “Perspectives in Multi-Layer Aviation Security System and Passenger Facilitation”, and featured as speakers, seasoned industry professionals such as the MD/CEO, FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu; the former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demuren; the CEO, Centurion Aviation, Gp. Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) amongst others.
Speaking on the state of affairs as regards security at Nigerian airports, Capt. Yadudu said, “It is the people that ensure security. Buildings and machines do not do anything. Security is therefore everyone’s business. Multi-layer security doesn’t necessarily imply multiple physical layers of security. There can be one physical layer of security from which various agencies retrieve data. What matters is that everyone looks at security from the national perspective and not from that of individual agencies alone. National interest first. No agency is above that.”
According to Capt. Ojikutu, an expert in Security and Safety, the security threats that the Nigerian military initially sought beyond the nation’s borders, found their way in after the advent of civil aviation – a state of affairs which pursuant to the Assistant Comptroller of Police, Mr. Oliver Ezirim, can be better managed with the installation of underground scanners at critical points along the Ikeja and Ajao Airport Roads: “After such an installation, there will no longer be a need for police checks”, he opined.
Mr. Ezirim went further to encourage whistle blowing, even as he lamented that the so-called “intelligence” originating from members of the general public mostly does not qualify as intelligence, as it is usually too vague; providing no substantial clues that can be employed in the investigative process. He therefore called on whistle blowers to provide as much information as possible about suspects and their activities, in order to enable security personnel better prevent and neutralize security threats.
Other speakers at the event suggested more ways of beefing up security at airports, some of which include making a shift from analogous to biometric operations; less/zero physical contact during passenger processing; making funding available for procurement of equipment and personnel training; empowering the NCAA to act decisively; reducing the number of facilitators at terminal buildings; streamlining passenger data exchange amongst others.
