.okays concession of Port Harcourt Airport
…to acquire 15 fire trucks
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation, on Thursday, said the Federal Executive Council (FEC), had approved the use of biometric verification at the nation’s airports.
Keyamo, while briefing State House Journalists after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Bola Tinubu, said the use of biometric verification had become necessary as “too many people use fake identity to board aircrafts, which he said, is not good for the nation’s security
“FEC granted approval for full concession of biometric verification systems at our Nigerian Airports. So, if you want to restrict your NIN to a system at the airport, when you come, we will verify you that you are the actual person that is boarding that flight.
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“We have too many anonymous people boarding the aircraft, many people using fake identity to board aircraft and that is not good for the security of this Country.
“So we have a system now that is linking all the NIN to the airport, both local and international flights. So when you come and present yourself, we will actually verify through your NIN that you are actually the person boarding.
“It is for safety and security and ICAO standard. It is for the safety and security of the country to know those who are ferrying back and forth within the Country.”
He also revealed that the Ministry secured FEC approval for the award of contracts for the maintenance and support services for the provision of Airport Management solutions at our five international airports.
“These are people who have been providing these services over the years, and they have done so well. So we decided to give it back to them again, our management solutions at our five international airports of Abuja, Kanu, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu Airports.
“Others include approval for the award of contracts for the procurement and installation of advanced tertiary power for all airports, navigational aid system and 14 VHF remote stations by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, this is the agency that is concerned with navigational equipment across the Country.
“Wae also sought approval to get 15 airport rescue and firefighting vehicles at the major international airports, in tune with ICAO standard”, he said.
He noted that the International Civil Aviation Organization has continued to audit airports to see whether they meet international standards. “And one of the major requirements is that we must have very well equipped firefighting vehicles in all of these airports that was graciously approved. 15 of them will be bought for the five international airports”, he explained.
keyamo said he also got the approval of FEC to exclude properties owned by the Federal Airport Authority in and around the airports in the Country from disposal to private individuals
He explained that a Committee called Presidential Implementation Committee on Government properties set up long ago by Obasanjo’s Government, had sought to sell Government properties to private individuals, maybe some of them on occupier basis.
He disclosed that the Committee had excluded certain properties at that time, which had to do with safety and security.
He noted that “despite the exclusion of those properties, some people have come to claim the properties, because they are owner occupiers, they will buy properties within the airport or around the airport, meant for very technical staff, maybe firefighting staff, Airport Security, navigational staff who we need at very short notice, because the airports are environments where you have emergence, you can have emergency anytime.
“So you need all of those people to stay within government quarters inside the airports because of emergencies.
“But we have had serious problems where many of them claimed that they had bought these properties, and so you now have private individuals living within the airport, living within security and safety areas. But today, graciously, Mr. President said we should exclude all of those properties from disposal to private individuals”
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“I’m just making this public announcement to those who purported to have bought, we will not give those properties to them. We will not because we told them from beginning that these properties were excluded originally, but they said they didn’t see any memo to that effect. Now there’s a memo to that effect. We will not concede any of such properties within the airport or around the airport to any private individual.”
He also announced FEC approval for the construction of a Permanent Headquarters for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
“Now we are renting private properties, and that is not safe enough for the country to equip private properties to such command and control centers to monitor flight across the country and all of that. So, we want to build a permanent headquarters for NAMA in abuja because we’ve not had one since we moved from Lagos. But they had a permanent building in Lagos but since we moved we had to make do with rented properties. So we are going to construct headquarters for NAMA.
“The next one, is the concession of Port Harcourt international airport for people to run. I’ve made the point before that we are running our airports at a loss. All the money from Lagos, Abuja and Kano we pour it at some other airports that are running at a loss.
“Before we came in, port harcourt was a no go area, almost all the investors shuned Port Harcourt. But I’m sure because of the activities of this government since it came to power, Port Harcourt now became the beautiful bride.
“I will tell you that under the last administration no bigger company came for port harcourt, not one. We advertised and advertised not one person came for port harcourt. But when we came in more that 6 people were scrambling and falling over themselves to get Port Harcourt”, he added.
Keyamo said he is ready to engage with the workers to assure them that nobody will loose his job.
“So, I’m making this very clear because there have been all kinds of misinformation to the union members. I am pro-union, pro-workers and I know the kind of pressure they have been putting on me including people within the system instigating them against these concessions.
“We will concession the airports especially as they are running at a loss, we cannot continue to waste government money. They will not lose their jobs, that’s the message to the unions, I repeat no worker will lose his job as a result of concessions. Once they are comfortable with that then I think they shall go along with us in that respect.”
