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The absence of perimeter fencing across major airports in Nigeria may continue to cause runway incursions, which could be a threat to security.
BusinessDay’s checks show that only the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, has perimeter fence in Nigeria.
The situation may remain this way for till next year as the Federal Government may not provide perimeter fences across the airports this year.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recently disclosed that it will capture the construction of perimeter fences in all airports in the 2019 budget.
Experts say 2019 may be too late for this development as Nigerian airports continue to remain porous and could be threat to security if immediate steps are not taken to address security lapses at the airports.
The recent incursion of Akure airport runway by cows that caused Air Peace aircraft to delay landing for about 20 minutes, thieves opening up cargo hold at the airport, the falling off of Dana door upon arrival in Lagos airport and the recent incidents of theft at the airports has again brought to the fore the need to improve aviation safety through ensuring that aircraft, airport runways and airside are secured.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have queried what the Federal Government did with N5.87 billion World Bank credit facility for perimeter fencing and other infrastructural equipment such as fire tenders.
The Abuja airport fencing was said to have gulped $65 million. While other stakeholders wondered what happened to budgetary allocations for the same projects for Port-Harcourt and Lagos, year in, year out.
John Ojikutu, member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) and chief executive of Centurion Securities, told BusinessDay that if the NCAA had put security fences across airports in the country, there would not be incursion of the runways by cows.
“The NCAA and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) should be blamed for absence of security fences across our airports. There are certain things we must have in place before we are certified to operate the airport. If NCAA approved the airports to be operating without perimeter fences, the airline should know that.
“This information should be in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). The pilot must read it before he departs. The operators too should be blamed because if they are going to Akure, they should take precaution on landing,” Ojikutu added.
He recalled that in 1990s, when he was the airport commandant people were farming on the runway side of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), until he had to put a stop to it.
On the issue of poaching, Ojikutu advised FAAN to “withdraw company identity cards from disengaged staff and ensure same for ground handling staff; limit number of staff working in the aircraft and apron, and conduct regular background checks on all. Ensure regular payment of salaries; demand for security enhanced fences and regular patrol of aircraft manoeuvring areas.”
An operator who craved anonymity said, “Our perimeter fences are not enhanced for security fences. The International Civil Aviation Organisation, (ICAO) has recommended that they go and make security fences to protect the operational area and they haven’t done that.
However, Henrietta Yakubu, general manager, public affairs, FAAN, in an interview in Lagos, said the issue of security across the airport remained a great concern to the organisation.
Yakubu said the incident at Akure was being addressed, stressing that the airport had perimeter fence but there was a gap in which the cattle entered through to the runway.
According to Yakubu, FAAN civil engineers were already at the Akure airport to fix the collapsed section of the fence.
As part of measures to further strengthen the security of the airports across the country. She said FAAN had stopped the renewal of On Duty Cards (ODCs) for former airline and FAAN workers to ensure strict personnel monitoring.
The card renewal will be thoroughly scrutinised by the agency, she said, saying all security measures have been reviewed while 10 vehicles have been added to the ones on ground to enhance runway patrol in order to minimise aircraft runway attacks.
IFEOMA OKEKE
