… Says Agency Will Not Compromise Security
…We’ll Not Relax Screening For Ebola Until We Hear From WHO
As part of efforts to further intensify screening of passengers and to also ensure security at airports across the country, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN), said that the scanners it ordered for will arrive the country this weekend.
This is just as the agency stated that there was no intention to relax screening of inbound passengers as it relates to Ebola Virus Disease(EVD) until it hears from the World Health Organisation(WHO).
This was disclosed by the Acting General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu at the weekend in Lagos.
She explained that to further ensure that passengers do not waste much time at the screening points at airports, FAAN, had since ordered for more scanners ,which according to him will arrive this weekend.
According to her, “These scanners will take care of everybody. You know what we have now are the monitors. It is because FAAN wanted to comply with the 30-day executive order, so we used what we have on ground to start implementation. The scanners are coming in this weekend.”
On the level of implementation and compliance with the Executive Order, approved by the Federal Government,which led to the collapse of different security checks at airports to one point, Yakubu stated that the agency has implemented the Executive Order by ensuring that the different counters hitherto used for screening have been collapsed to one, adding that at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport(MMA),Lagos for example, FAAN has implemented the directive.
Speaking further, “Today, we dont longer have different checks at our airports,”
“FAAN has started implementation on Monday. We have been able to collapse all the different desks at the airport into one. If you go to MMIA at the screening section, you will find out that the FAAN Aviation Security(AVSEC), Quarantine and a few other security agencies are there. All of them are there now to check the luggage of passengers coming into the airport. If there is a need for further checks, when the luggage get into the baggage hall and you suspect any luggage, further checks are done there. We no longer have different desks at the airport. We don’t have Customs, Quarantine and others separate but have collapsed all of them into one,”she said..
She however stated there was no way manual screening would jettisoned, adding that in some countries 20 per cent of the screening are done manually while in other climes it is 10 per cent.
In her words, “FAAN cannot compromise security. So we are working with security agencies, airlines and others. When there is a need to search baggage manually, we do so but that takes place at the baggage hall, not within the purview of where the passengers are”.
On Ebola and whether FAAN other agencieshave relaxed the screeing of inbound also known as arriving passengers, the Acting General Manager said, “As we speak Port Health is still screening inbound passengers with the infrared equipment ,which they use in taking the pasengers’ temperature.”
Untill we hear from the World Health Organisation(WHO),we will not relax.
Speaking on efforts made by FAAN to rid the airports of touts, Yakubu stated that the agency was working with the Police on this, adding that in the meeting FAAN had with the Police ,the issue was discussed.
She added that what this means is that nobody is allowed to wander around the vterminal if he or she has no business at the airport, as acording to him this constitute touting.
On the escalators at the international wing that were not functioning properly, she , “We have worked on our excalators, they are now okay . We will extend it to other airports.”
