CEM REPORT, AVIATION | Airports in Nigeria will receive new language scanners which will cut down the manual multiple agency search of travellers as the sum of ₦3 billion is approved for the purchase of airport scanners by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The scanners will be installed in major international airports which are Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos; Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, according to Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation while addressing state house correspondents yesterday.
He said the proposed state-of-the-art scanners is customized to detect explosive and narcotic upon screening which will eliminate manual bag searches.
He added that the new detection machines will swiftly identify explosives or other illicit substances as bags pass through noting that the cutting-edge systems, equipped with remote and dual-view capabilities, aimed to revolutionise security procedures.
“So it’s for the approval of the award of contract for the supply and installation of customised explosive and narcotic detection screening systems, with a remote and dual view for the international airports of Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu.
“It’s what Nigerians will be interested in because since I came to office, we have been inundated with complaints of the harrowing experiences that passengers go through at the airports where they have to physically search their bags.
“I’m sure you all know about that, and it’s been really getting under the skin of Nigerians.
“You’ll see various agencies lined up; NDLEA, they’ll say open your bag, Immigration, they’ll say open your bag, Customs, they’ll say open your bag, EFCC, they’ll say open your bag, and they will dip their hands in your bag.
“So we thought we should do something like you have the TSA in America, where you have detection machines. So when they pass your bags through the machines, they detect explosives or any other thing and that’s the end of the search.”
“Luckily enough, the Council saw the need for this kind of equipment in order to relieve Nigerians of such experiences and it was graciously approved by Council”, he said.
Keyamo also said FEC ratified Nigeria’s bilateral air service agreement with the Republic of Guyana.
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According to him, the agreement was signed in 2014 but has not been ratified since then.
He said with the ratification, Guyana can now have direct flights to Nigeria.
“We have entered into an agreement with Guyana, a South American country. They have been very anxious to have direct flights from Guyana to Nigeria. This agreement was entered into, way back in 2014 with the administration at that time but it required ratification by the Executive and that is what was done today, “the minister said.
