Emmanuel OchayiIn a bid to revolutionize airport security procedures, Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has greenlit N3.23 billion budget for procuring advanced baggage scanners across major international airports in Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Port-Harcourt, and Kano.
This decision, announced by Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, marks a step towards addressing the grievances of passengers facing cumbersome security checks at these airports.
Addressing the press after the FEC meeting held in Abuja’s State House on Monday, Keyamo expressed the urgent need to alleviate the distressing experiences encountered by travelers.
“Since I assumed office, we’ve received incessant complaints about the distress passengers face during baggage inspections at airports. It’s been a persistent concern for Nigerians,” he stated, highlighting the continuous physical bag searches conducted by multiple agencies like NDLEA, Immigration, Customs, and EFCC.
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“We’re adopting a strategy similar to the TSA in America, deploying detection machines to identify explosives or illicit substances without manual searches,”
Keyamo explained, outlining the objective behind the approved contract for procuring and installing state-of-the-art explosive and narcotic detection screening systems.
“The Council recognized the necessity for such equipment to ease the burden on Nigerians and graciously endorsed the proposal,” Keyamo added.
Responding to queries about the project’s cost, the minister confirmed a budget of N3.23 billion for the customized machines.
Moreover, FEC also ratified a memorandum for a Bilateral Air Service Agreement with the Republic of Guyana. However, Keyamo clarified the discontinuation of the Nigeria Air project initiated by the previous administration, citing concerns about creating a monopolistic market.
“The Nigeria Air project envisioned under the prior administration aimed to manipulate the market by offering tax waivers and potentially destabilizing the industry,” Keyamo asserted.
He explained that favoring tax exemptions solely for Nigeria Air would have disrupted the equilibrium, forcing other operators out of the market.
Detailing the findings of the investigative panel on Nigeria Air, Keyamo hinted at numerous irregularities discovered during the scrutiny, promising to divulge further details in due course.
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