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New terminals in porous airports

Remodelled Lagos airport terminal

The Federal Government is building new terminals across the country’s airports even when the security situation around these facilities is compromised, UDEME EKWERE writes

Young Daniel Ihekina had always admired the lovely and easy life in the United States and nurtured a dream of living in that country some day. But he had no idea of how to raise the huge funds for the visa or pass through the stringent screening process at the US embassy.

As he trekked through the bushy path leading to the tarmac of the Benin airport that Saturday morning, he already sighted two aircraft from afar on the runway and presumed one should take him to the US. He chose the Arik aircraft flight W3 544.

He sneaked into the airport through its ‘back-gate’ along the Akenzua road axis, using a gaping hole around the airport fence. He smiled to himself as he realised that none of the security officials that stood at a distance was watching.

By the time he got near the plane, some passengers had begun to embark, but since he could not enter through the main entrance because he had no ticket, he settled for the ‘boot’ of the plane.

He was able to find a hole in the wheel well of the airline, and was certain he drew no attention as he gently found a little space where he squeezed himself in, hoping to arrive in the US.

When he was sure that the plane had landed after what seemed to be hours of flying because of the uncomfortable position he was in, the teenager disembarked from the wheel compartment, and looked round in confusion, this place didn’t seem like America at all. It was the Lagos airport.

It was while he was still trying to take in his surroundings that security officers apprehended him for boarding the airline illegally.

Faulty perimeter/security fence

Though no official at the Benin airport could volunteer official comment on how the stowaway was able to penetrate the terminal, it was learnt that the teenager might have gained entry into the airport from the Akenzua road axis, where perimeter fencing is non-existent.

Findings by our correspondent revealed that this was the general situation in most airports in the country.

All the major airports such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt, have faulty perimeter and security fencings, making it easy for any individuals who know their way around to beat security checks to get access into the airside facility.

Of course, Ihekina’s dangerous adventure is not the first case of individuals trying to gain illegal access into flights in the country.

Barely two weeks after Ihekina’s attempt, another airport trespasser, Mr. Leroy Ugaga, was arrested by a joint patrol team of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Air Force.

Giving details of his arrest, the FAAN had explained that the trespasser was caught loitering around the airport as he attempted to gain entry into the airside facility.

“The trespasser was sighted and observed for a few minutes by members of the patrol team as he tried to gain entry into the airside and as soon as his intentions became clear, he was quickly apprehended and handed over to the police for further interrogation,” it stated.

FAAN said that a joint perimeter patrol by its security prsonnel and men of Nigerian Air force at the Benin airport was one of the additional security measures taken to forestall runway incursions at all Nigerian airports, following the stowaway incident at the airport on August 24, 2013.

Porous airports

But experts, who spoke to our correspondent in separate interviews, said mere patrol by security workers and agencies would not be the solution as the problem had persisted for many years.

This, they noted, was one of the reasons why the Nigerian airports had not even been certified by regulatory agencies, which they said spoke volume about the confidence they had in the nation’s airport security.

The Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Securities and Safety Consult, Group Captain John Ojikutu, said that the nation had not got it right in terms of securing the airports, adding that it was embarrassing that up until now, the country was still grappling with minor challenges as regards airport safety.

He said, “Security challenges at our airports have not changed from what has been on the ground before the Boko Haram insurgency or terrorist attacks. We have airports with safety and security systems that in over five years cannot be certified by government-own regulatory agency.

“The perimeter fences are very porous and yet to be upgraded into security fences to meet the challenges of the current threats and in compliance with the international best practice.

“It is important to note that there is inadequate skilled manpower in the aviation security and only few of those available are certified for passenger and baggage screening.”

New airport terminals/upgrade

Under the administration of the immediate Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, massive construction of terminal buildings commenced at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Port Harcourt International Airport, Kaduna airport and Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar with the amount spent put at over N170bn.

Other airports where remodelling project is/was also ongoing are Benin airport, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu; Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri; Yola Airport, and Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos.

Work has been completed in some of the terminals with some being inaugurated while others have reached an advanced stage.

The present administration said the projects would not be abandoned, as the building of new terminals and upgrade of others across the country was part of the aviation master plan.

But an aviation security consultant, Mr. Ayo Obilana, said that building new terminals and upgrading existing ones would be of no use if they were not appropriately secured.

According to him, there is the need for government to set its priorities right in the area of security, adding that if the terminals are porous it would become a waste of resources.

Obilana who is the Chief Executive, Selective Security International Limited, said, “The problem is that we do not seem to be setting our priorities right. There is nothing wrong with building new terminals, but if the existing ones are not adequately secured, then what is the point?

“The fact remains that one has to take precedence over the other. If you build a beautiful edifice and leave it vulnerable, where someone can just come in and blow it up, then you have achieved nothing.”

Security, a general challenge

Analysts have noted that most airports in Nigeria have remained porous with the level of security becoming a major concern to not only aviation security experts, but also the stakeholders.

They say the security challenges at the airport are beyond perimeter fencing

For instance, at the Lagos international airport, every passenger has to face the challenge of ‘tipping’ officials on duty to move on.

Right from the point of entry into the international terminal to the point of boarding, passengers sometimes go through several points where security agencies ask them to ‘drop’. Usually, those who comply are attended to faster than those who don’t.

When challenged, a security official at the airport, who did not want his name in print, said, “Well, it has never been by force; we just ask them if they have anything for us; nothing huge. If they don’t, we still allow them to pass; it is not compulsory, some passengers even give us without asking them anything.”

A frequent passenger to London, Mrs. Tina Nwokedi, told our correspondent that she had learnt to keep little change in her pocket for these security officials at the airport and immigration points.

“Most of them know me by now anyway, which makes it more difficult for me, they will just hold unto my bag until I give them ‘something’. I’ve learnt to just give them little change here and there; this makes things easier for me in the long run,” she said.

Missing and stolen luggage

Yetunde Awoniyi has learnt the hard way to keep all her bags under very close watch while at the airport.

She had three boxes and another carry-on bag when she wanted to leave for the United Kingdom. While waiting on the queue, she remembered she did not have an extra copy of her visa, so she asked someone to keep an eye on her bags as she rushed out to get it.

When she returned about 10 minutes later, one of the bags was gone.

She said, “To my utter amazement, one of the boxes was gone, I walked through the length and breadth of the terminal, but I could not find the box, even the person who was supposed to help watch over it, was nowhere to be found. I approached the airline, and they said they weren’t responsible for stray bags.

“I also approached the security officials at the airport, but they said that everyone was responsible for their luggage and they had more important issues to attend to. I never saw that box again and I could not make so much noise, because everyone seemed to blame me for the incident.”

An official of Delta Airlines, simply called Anthony, said that airlines could not be held responsible for missing luggage at the airport.

He said, “Everyone has their own duty at the airport; we have so many people working here doing different things; and for the airlines, we cannot be held responsible for luggage that have not been put under our care; that would not work. And so, until such bags are checked in, they remain the responsibility of the passenger.

“Of course, announcements are made regularly that people should not leave their luggage unattended to; so, the airport management cannot also take the blame for such a thing.”

A passenger, Ms Bunmi Stevens, who returned from Dubai last month, complained to our correspondent that her laptop was stolen from her check-in luggage while she was on her way to Dubai.

She said, “My mistake was that I should have taken my laptop from my box, and held it as hand luggage, but I forgot, and only remembered long after my box had been checked in.

“I only discovered after I got to the airport in Dubai that my box had been broken into, and my laptop was taken. When I tried to lodge a complaint, an official of the airline said that it must have occurred in Nigeria by the handling companies, as they had run through their CCTV cameras between when the airline landed and the time of complaint and saw nothing of that sort.

“I do believe it happened in Nigeria, and I find it rather shameful that passengers’ luggage should be tampered with in this day and age, I thought we have gone past such things in this country.”

Airlines, handling companies react

An official of Etihad Airlines, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said that most airlines got reports of missing luggage from time to time.

The source said, “It happens once in a while, where passengers come to complain that they discovered that some items in their luggage were stolen by the time they reached their destination.

“More often than not, we believe the blame for such should go to the handling companies managing the airline, because once the passenger’s luggage is checked in, the handling company takes charge of its loading and offloading.”

The Manager, Corporate Communications and Branding, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Mr. Tayo Ajakaye, said that apart from handling companies, some other bodies could also have access to the luggage.

He said, “The delivery chain at the airport is a fairly familiar one. You check in your luggage; you hand it over to someone who places it in an aircraft. The aircraft is in possession of your luggage until it gets to the destination and then ground handlers take charge. In some cases, the Customs may also be involved. It is a chain that could be breached at any of these points.

“However, as a company, we have professional code of ethics under which all workers operate. We expect all our staff members to abide by this code all the time. Anybody who is found to deviate is instantly made to undergo our internal processes. If he is found guilty, such a person is sanctioned accordingly.”

He urged passengers with such unpleasant experiences to lodge a complaint with the airline and follow up on their complaints with phone calls or text messages.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, Mr. Basil Agboarumi, said the company does not tolerate such incidence.

“As a company, we have zero tolerance to pilfering of baggage. This could be confirmed from the airlines we handle,” he said.

Touting

The nation’s airports, especially Lagos and Abuja, are teaming with touts almost on daily basis. This has become a major security concern. Some touts are often mistaken by security officials as workers of some of the airlines, because of their frequent presence at the airport.

Crowded MMIA terminal

A close look at the terminal will reveal these touts, mostly men, walking or sitting around the airport, without doing anything concrete.

Anthony said some of these ‘jobless’ people could be responsible for the missing and stolen items at the airports, adding, “Some of them even pretend to be airport workers and end up robbing unsuspecting passengers of their money and belongings.”

A Bureau d’ Change operator at the international terminal, MMA Lagos, Mrs. Janet Amadi, said that with the way things stood presently at the airport, suicide bombers could easily find their way into the airport.

“I keep praying everyday that such thing doesn’t occur because sometimes, this place gets too rowdy, with some people just walking up and down doing nothing concrete. I just sit in my booth and notice some people who are doing nothing. They just move from place to place as if they are studying the environment. This makes me feel afraid, and I have considered leaving this job because of that. I just hope this problem is addressed soon,” she said.

Aviation minister speaks

The Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has expressed worry about the situation and promised to rid the airports of touts.

Earlier this month, he mandated FAAN and the NAF to flush out all touts loitering around the arrival hall of the Lagos international airport within two weeks, adding that the Federal Government would install new Close Circuit Television cameras at major international airports to provide surveillance against corrupt practices.

He said, “I get very worried over the crowding of passengers and airport personnel around the check-in areas. This must be reviewed because we have to find better ways of processing passengers. And I am equally getting worried about touting at the airports.

“I am thereby directing FAAN and the Nigerian Air Force to remove all the touts in front of the arrival hall at the Lagos airport. I will be paying unscheduled visits to the airports to see that this order is implemented. And failure to carry out this order, you know what is next. I am going to discuss with the Lagos State Government to assist us with a mobile court at the airport to try the touts immediately.”

He said the installation of brand new CCTV cameras in strategic places around the airport would deter airport workers from either soliciting for bribes, a development which he said had become one of the sore points in the travel experience of passengers in Nigerian airports.

Security experts

The President, Aviation Roundtable, Captain Dele Ore, told our correspondent, “We are supposed to comply with Annex 17 of the Chicago Convention, but we have not been able to do so. It should be appreciated that things are a bit different in this country because we have our own peculiar challenges, but that does not mean that we should not do what we have to do because security is the main reason why our airports have not been certified up till now.

“We have a fence round the airport, which is more or less to demarcate the boundary of the airport, which is the perimeter fence, but we need another in form of a security fence a few meters from that. That is missing in most of our airports. It is really not something that should be taken for granted, and should be an important part of our security.

“We also need to install other security gadgets such as CCTV cameras at strategic locations to help monitor activities and expose intruders at the airport. It is important that we should solve this particular problem if our aviation industry is to forge ahead in the next few years.”

Another security expert, the Managing Director, Planet Resources Limited, Mr. Allwell Okata, said there must be concerted efforts by the concerned authorities to improve the security system around the airports.

“Obviously, the security and perimeter fences are not the type with the capacity to prevent intrusion into the airports from those areas. More still needs to be done in that area,” he said.

Ojikutu, who was a former commandant of the MMIA, Lagos, said, currently, the airports had not been secured to face the current security crises in the country.

He stressed that without fully addressing the security challenges, the country would seem to be taking one step forward and many backward.