The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Airports

  • New security measures at airports

    The Federal Government has begun the implementation of new security measures at five international airports.

    The airports  are the Murtala Muhammed International  Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt .

    The exercise, which began last weekend, would require  visitors to Nigeria, including foreign dignitaries and officials  of multi lateral institutions, to submit  themselves to immigration officers for requisite scrutiny and clearance.

    The measures are part of the recommendations of  the Presidential Committee on Review of Security and Screening Architecture set up by the government in 2013.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Performance  Monitoring and Evaluation, Professor Sylvester Monye,  said the new security arrangement  has become imperative because of the prevailing security situation  in the country.

    Monye  said  since  May 1, 2014, no protocol officer/aide,  is  allowed into the arrival/baggage halls of the five international airports in Nigeria.

    He said the old practice where protocol officials, aides of dignitaries, protocol officers of private firms, unauthorised uniformed and non-uniformed military and security officials move about unhindered in restricted areas around the airport terminals, will no longer be tolerated .

    He said the unwholesome milling around of such personnel in the Immigration and Customs areas is now frowned at and seen as a threat to national security.

    According to Monye, who spoke at the Presidential Committee on Airport Security tour of facilities in Lagos  last week, the new directive was issued in view of recent threat to national security. He frowned at attempts by some government and military officials who abuse facilities at the airports.

    He said government will implement the new security measures,  as  the directive will not respect anybody who goes against its implementation.

  • Beyond remodelling of airports

    Beyond remodelling of airports

    The remodelling of 22 of the country’s airports by the Ministry of Aviation is nearing completion. The interventionist drive is intended to position the airports for the anticipated increase in passenger and cargo traffic. But many believe that the Ministry must go beyond remodelling to enable provision of good services by operators, KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    A few years ago, some airports cut a sorry picture of how an aviation infrastructure should not look like.

    For years, they were neglected by successive administrations, which did not consider the aviation sector a catalyst for socio-economic development.

    The obsolete facilities which include old generators, cracked runways were the reflections of poor management. Money meant for the sector simply disapeared. Till today, what happened to N19.5 billion aviation intervention fund and the N6.5 billion controversial safe tower project remains a mystery.

    Things appear to be in the upward spring with the recently unveiled masterplan for the upgrade of airports and terminals.

    The infrastructure intervention, christened airport remodelling, has brought about the rebuilding of terminals at Lagos, Benin, Yola, Ilorin, Sokoto , Enugu, Owerri, Calabar , Abuja, Ibadan, Akure, Port Harcourt and Makurdi airports.

    Apart from the ones already completed, work is about 90 per cent completed at some other airport terminals.

    During a tour of Abuja, Yola, Sokoto, Ilorin , Calabar, Port Harcourt , Owerri and Enugu airports, which are being remodelling Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said the project was a conerstone of this administration’s trasformation agenda.

    At the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar, Princess Oduah said the the Cross Rivers State Capital, terminal was being expanded to cater for over a 10-year projection in passenger, cargo and tourists traffic.

    She said Calabar, as a foremost tourism destination, would require an expansive airport terminal of global standard that could accommodate the expected increase in the number of tourists.

    She said: “Some had huge structural defect that they had to start all over again. So, what you are seeing today is a brand new airport and, indeed, all the terminals that we have done so far. We did not just rehabilitate, we restructured and reconstructed these terminals.

    “For us to be able to do this in record time and with the resources available to us, I think we have done very well and again, it is for Nigerian people; they should have a comfortable place where they should travel from.

    “In Calabar, we have increased the capacity of the airport. Calabar Airport as you know, used to be tiny and ugly for an international airport and extremely unsafe, but this is what we have today and it is not just Calabar; it is everywhere. And as you know Calabar is a tourist destination for Nigerian government and so it is very important that we do what we did in Calabar.”

    Aviation, the Minister said, has the brightest potential, through the aerotropolis and perishable cargo programmes, to bring about a bottom-up growth and development of the society.

    She said the perishable cargo terminal at the Calabar Airport will provide a platform for farmers in the state and the neighbouring communities to live the good life beyond mere survival or susbsistence.

    ‘’Cross River State is known for her agricultural produce ranging from pineapples, bananas, plantain, cocoa, yam and cassava .

    “Today, much of what the farmers produce here is either grossly under-priced or rots away as a result of lack of local capacity to absorb the huge harvest. But with the perishable cargo taking off here in a matter of months, farmers will begin to secure real value for their hard work as their farm produce will find their way to the biggest cities and supermarkets not only in Nigeria, but also in Europe and America,’’ Oduah said.

    She continued: ‘’The value chain that will result from this is also very immense. Just imagine the industries that will spring up to service this terminal like the packaging companies, transportation hubs, as well as the grocery stores that will feed this facility.

    “Thousands of jobs would be created and the entire landscape of this wonderful city would be greatly enhanced; the possibilities are indeed, endless.’’

    She expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the airport.

    Also speaking at the Port Harcourt International Airport, the Minister dismissed insinuations that nothing concrete had taken place at the terminal.

    She said: “As you can see, so many things and so many projects are on-going in Port Harcourt; we have gone to see about three of them, we have seen the cargo terminal, the international terminal, the perishable terminal, the VIP and the General Aviation Terminal. So, it is amazing when someone says that nothing is happening in Port Harcourt.

    “To showcase the pivotal nature of aviation, you can imagine the job that would come out of this construction and after its completion, what is going to come out of it is huge and think about the economic impact it would have on Rivers State .

    “So, it is wrong for anybody to say nothing is going on in Port-Harcourt. We have been creating jobs; just while constructing, we are going to create about 30,000 jobs .

    “Take this domestic terminals for instance, the phase one is completed. It is just for us to finish with the air conditioning. We want it to be one of the largest domestic terminals and because it is a hub for us.”

    The minister described the aerotropolis project and international terminal in Enugu as a project that would transform the economy of the Southeast.

    She also inspected the pilgrims’ terminal, which is under construction .

    At the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, the minister inspected the perishable cargo terminal under construction.

    The Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), Mr George Uriesi described the construction of new airport terminals as an initiative that would increase the revenue of government through different commercial offering from non-aeronautical sources .

    He said: “We have completed the airport terminals, the remaining thing is to furnish it and it will start functioning.”

  • Govt urged to establish cold stores at airports

    Govt urged to establish cold stores at airports

    An industry expert, Dr Ademola Adeyemo has called on the government to set up cold storage facilities across airports in the country.

    Adeyemo, Head, General Management Division, Agricultural and Rural Management and Training Institute (ARMTI), said perishable goods storage facilities are necessary for developing a highly profitable export industry.

    Apart from providing an essential requisite to the development and promotion of the export industry,he noted that this would encourage exporters, growers, and processors to increase exports of fresh produce, Stressing that preservation of perishable food is a matter of vital importance ,he urged the government to set up cargo-handling facilities for perishable products at different airports of the country.

    Adeyemo said there was massive shortfall in the country’s cold storage is resulting in agricultural produce being lost post-harvesting.

    To this end, he urged the government to take urgent steps to establish cold storage facilities at the i airports.

    According to him, establishing such a facility would be of great help to farmers, who wish to export produce to other countries. He emphasised the need for setting up of operating cold chain facilities for other specified products and warehousing facilities for storage of agriculture produce through public private participation initiatives.

    He said development of cold storages was important where fruits and vegetables go waste every year due to inadequate storage infrastructure.

    He said export-related infrastructure for agri produce is described in the report as grossly inadequate, especially at seaports and airports.

    To pursue the objectives, experts said the government need to l provide infrastructure for air cargo villages, which will include multi-modal transport, cargo terminals, cold storage centers, automatic storage and retrieval systems, mechanised transport of cargo, dedicated express cargo terminals with airside and city side openings, computerisation and automation, establish cargo villages on a public-private partnership at major international airports and promote Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano as transshipment hubs.

  • ‘We’ve improved obsolete tools in airports’

    AVIATION Minister Ms Stella Oduah yesterday said security and safety equipment in airports prior to July 2011 were obsolete and unserviceable.

    She said there was “poor management and governance structures in agencies and parastatals and acute personnel shortage.”

    Oduah spoke yesterday at the maiden graduation of the International Aviation College in Ilorin, Kwara State .

    Represented by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi, the minister said there was “an obsolete national aviation policy and an aviation industry lagging behind the rest of the world.”

    “To address this, the ministry did a roadmap, which was approved by the president. This was a master plan of reforms, the first ever in the Aviation industry.

    “Included are institutional changes, infrastructure development, human capacity development, the strengthening of domestic airlines, development of regional hubs, perishable cargo handling facilities, free trade zones and aerotropoli.

    “I am happy to see that the college is in line with the master plan and now providing closure to the human capacity gaps of our industry. I assure that the Ministry of Aviation will support this college.”

    The minister urged other states to emulate Kwara by embarking on projects to generate employment for Nigerians.

    Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh, represented by Air Commodore Babatunde Adekoya, said the Airforce would send 25 officers for training at the college.

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed urged the Federal Government to continue to support the college to enable it consolidate its role as a foremost centre for the training of pilots inWest Africa.

    He said: “On June 30, last year, I launched the flight training of this college, I urged the board and the management to strictly adhere to all training and safety procedures, in line with regulations and ensure that students graduate on schedule.

    “I am happy to hear that this crop of students graduated in 16 months, as opposed to the advertised 18 months due to the management’s emphasis on high training standards and the high calibre of its trainers.”

    He spoke of plans to expand infrastructure with the building of more hostels, hangar and a workshop for aircraft repair next year.

    Ahmed said the state would partner others to introduce additional aeronautical engineering and management courses for the college at the state university.

  • NRC to link major sea and airports

    The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) will soon connect major sea and airports with an effective rail service, its Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje has said.

    Baraje spoke in Lagos after members of the board completed a facility tour of the corporation’s installations in Lagos State.

    He said besides efforts to connect the nation’s major economic gateways, the management would also partner the Nigerian

    Shippers’ Council (NSC) to convey containers across the inland container depots.

    The NRC chairman noted that this would reduce the burden on the nation’s roads.

    According to him, the board of the corporation is aware of the expectations of Nigerians for a seamless rail service and easy movements of passengers and cargoes across the country.

    Baraje said: “With the level attained by the ongoing modernisation, the corporation will soon get connected to all major sea ports, while the next phase of medernisation will be aimed at the airports.”

    The NRC chairman explained that the private sector would participate in the rail services when the programme is completed.

    According to him, the Federal Government cannot shoulder the financial responsibility alone, hence the need for private sector participation.

    Baraje expressed satisfaction with the new equipment at the Lagos workshops.

    He warned the workers to handle the equipment with care because “the public is anxious for results on the huge financial commitment of the Federal Government”.

    NRC’s Managing Director Adeseyi Sijuwade said the corporation was mindful of the high expectations of the public.

    He said this is the reason for the current drive to increase the number of train services across the country.

    The managing director announced the imminent take-off of a daily shuttle between Lagos and Kano.

    Sijuwade assured that the train service would be extended to the eastern axis before the end of the year.

    The engineer said the corporation was doing its best to meet the demands of freight customers who have shown preference for rail transport.

    He praised Lafarge Cement Company Plc, Dangote Group, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Oando Plc and Total Oil Limited reliable rail services for freighting their commodities.

    Sijuwade advised other corporate organisations to join the growing list of NRC’s corporate customers and clients.

     

  • Passengers stranded as strike cripples airports

    Passengers stranded as strike cripples airports

    Scores of air passengers were yesterday stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as unions at the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) embarked on an indefinite strike.

    The workers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the strike was to press home their demand for the implementation of the salary structure approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

    The unions are the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).

    NAN reports that the situation had compelled senior management staff of NAMA to take charge of the control towers.

    Armed policemen were also stationed at the entrance of NAMA headquarters, to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

    A union member, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that there were no international flights going out or coming into the country because of the strike.

    “Those ones coming in were diverted to Niger Republic Airspace, causing the country to lose revenue.

    “As at 9:00 a.m., only eight domestic airlines had been air borne, as against the 20 we should have recorded on a normal day,” the source said .

    Some passengers, who spoke to NAN, urged NAMA management and the unions to resolve the crisis without delay.

    An Abuja-bound passenger, Mr Deji Elumoye, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, urged the unions and NAMA management to resolve their differences by fulfilling the agreements they both reached.

    “NAMA should pay the backlog of arrears it is owing the workers, while the unions should shift grounds to allow for meaningful negotiations and the resolution of the matter,” Elumoye said.

    The NUJ chairman, who said he was going for a meeting in Abuja, had to seek a refund from the airline after waiting for two hours without the flight taking off.

    Mrs Biola Olayiwola, another passengers travelling to Abuja, also called for closer collaboration between the NAMA management and the unions because they both needed themselves for the survival of the sector.

    Malam Ibraheem Aliyu, who was travelling to Kano, said that he was not aware of the strike until he got to the airport.

    “I have bought my ticket and the airline operators did not tell me anything to the contrary. You could see that the terminal is filled with passengers waiting to board their flights,” Aliyu said.

    At about noon, the leadership of the unions chased out NAMA staff from their offices, stressing that if the outcome of the meeting with the Ministers of Aviation and Labour did not favour them, the strike would continue.

    The unions in a statement signed by Messrs Olayinka Abioye, Abdulkareem Motajo and Aba Ocheme, their acting secretary-generals, described the strike as a “successful one” and warned the flying passengers’ not to fly.

    They also warned the flying public not to endanger their lives by flying, adding that it was NAMA’s management staff that were drafted to take charge of the control towers and serving as air traffic controllers (ATCS).

    The unions, however, advised the flying public, the Airlines and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on the danger inherent in a situation whereby NAMA’s management personnel now served as air traffic controllers.

    “These management staff do not have the prerequisite validation for various air traffic control service facilities and systems, Aeronautical Information Services, Aeronautical Communications and Air Traffic Engineering Services.

    “This is contrary to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices in security and safety,” the statement said.

    The unions said that this seeming infraction on the part of NAMA management was another exhibition of its culture of impunity which portends grave consequences and danger for the flying public.

    “Airlines and Pilots receiving directives and instructions from these categories of personnel are doing so at their own risk.

    “Neither the unions nor the real workers of NAMA shall be held accountable in case of any incident or accidents as those flying these planes are flying into the unknown,” the statement said.

    Mr Supo Atobatele, General Manager, Public Affairs, NAMA, in a telephone interview with NAN said that the agency’s senior management staff had been drafted to the control towers.

    “All NAMA personnel are technically sound to do the jobs they are trained and employed to do.

    “The flying public should not allow the unions to dampen their spirits with the excuses that the senior management staff of NAMA cannot handle the control towers.

    “The flying public should not nurse any fear regarding their safety because these are the instructors that trained the air traffic controllers,” Atobatele said.

    He added that it is only the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the regulatory agency that can disqualify anybody and not the unions.

    “All airlines should continue with their flight schedules as NAMA has not issued them any notice that the nation’s airspace had been shut,” he said.

    Officials of the airline declined comments on the strike situation.

     

  • Airports jammed

    Airports jammed

    PASSENGER traffic and flight operations were at their peak yesterday at both the old and new domestic terminals of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. Tickets were sold out.

    Many airport workers walked from the Ikeja bus stop for as long as the traffic snarl lasted.

    Most airlines, including Arik Air were fully booked.

    The airline’s competitor – Aero Contractors — has suspended its operations due to the strike by its workers.

    Other airlines, including Medview, IRS Airlines, Chanchangi Airlines, as well as Overland Airways, also had their flights fully booked.

    As of midnight, hundreds of passengers were still waiting at the Abuja airport.

     

  • Demuren seeks increased security at airports

    Demuren seeks increased security at airports

    There is an improvement in security at airports nation wide because of counter terrorism measures in place, the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, has said.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, Demuren listed some of the measures to include primary and secondary screening of passengers, intelligence information exchange, installation of imaging body scanners at airports for out bound and inbound passengers, more training for aviation security personnel as well as increasing surveillance on the activities of personnel who work at the airports.

    He said some aeronautical agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), are putting measures in place to checkmate the possibility of penetration by mischief makers who are poised to use the sector for their dastardly activities.

    Demuren said the threat to security and safety around the nation’s airports had become disturbing because terrorists were seeking ways to penetrate the sector.

    He spoke of plans to foster inter- agency collaboration at airports through exchange of intelligence information as well as more training for security personnel.

    He said those targeting the sector had enough time to plan. He called for more vigilance by stakeholders.

     

     

     

     

     

  • NAMA to begin 24-hour services at three airports

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) will start 24-hour air traffic management services at three airports next month.

    According to its Managing Director, Mr Nnamdi Udoh, the airports are Yola, Owerri and Enugu.

    He said the decision was taken after consultation with the authorities.

    The agency, he said, would take off after the installation of air field lightings.

    He said NAMA would negotiate with the airport authority and airline operators who wish to operate night flights at the airports.

    He said: “The reason we are creating 24-hour operations is to take care of late operations at such airports. Such airlines will have to pay NAMA money, but if I make it 24 hours, I think that more planes will come and pay money. So, declaring 24 hours is good; that was what informed our decision. We want to provide manpower; we want to make more airlines to fly.

    “It will help to take care of situations were airlines do not have to get worried once it is 6 pm. Pilots do not need to be running around because you want to go and land in Owerri before they close. We are going to make all these airports 24 hours from March when the manpower is available.

    “There will be notice to airmen for the airports. Critical among them is Yola, Owerri and Enugu. We want to do that so that the airlines can schedule their operations. We will talk with them and find out which airport they want and any airport any operator wants will be available 24 hours.There is no point keeping it open and we don’t use it because most of those airports run on diesel.”

  • Airports remodelling commendable

    Airports remodelling commendable

    SIR: Critics of the on-going remodelling exercise at the nation’s airports agree that something is wrong with the airports and the facilities therein. They agree that a lot is rotten with the system of operation. They also agree that the human component too needs to be addressed. So, a listening President said, Oh something needs to be done urgently to address all the issues that people are raising concerning our airports. And pronto, he set in motion the process of bringing back the glory of the airports. Hardly had he taken the first step that bullets of abuse started to fly. From the President to the ebullient Honourable Minister of Aviation to all the chiefs at the Aviation agencies, none was spared. This is not fair. We must learn to appreciate whatever a sitting government is doing right.

    It is not a secret that a lot had gone wrong with the airports, but here is now a conscious effort to put those things right and some people are not satisfied. What do these critics want the government to do? Close down all the airports? No, that cannot be the answer. What the Aviation Minister is doing right now about these airports should be commended. For example, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in Rivers State which are always the reference point in these caustic attacks were commissioned in 1979; that is 34 years ago. The facts are there for all to see. People passed through the airports and lamented that we are probably a cursed people. That our airports were not better than bread ovens, so some said. People said unprintable things about past ministers and those at the helm of affairs at the aviation agencies. Critics at every turn called for the heads of everybody to roll.

    But this administration listened to the genuine cries of airport users and has begun a major restructuring and remodelling of the nation’s airports. What is going on today in the aviation industry in Nigeria is unprecedented.

    There is a massive construction work going on simultaneously at not less than 11 of the nation’s airports. Users of these airports can attest to this fact that no administration in the history of this nation had had this kind of stoic determination to make a difference in the aviation industry and thus embark on the kind of work going on at present at the nation’s airports. It is rather unfortunate that instead of praise, what the critics are heaping on the President, the Honourable Minister of Aviation and everybody that has anything to do with the industry is abuse.

    For God’s sake, can’t we for once, appreciate a good that someone is doing for our country?

    The wisdom of not closing down the airports for the remodelling should be appreciated. What the nation is going to lose if they are closed down could only be imagined. Definitely jobs would be lost. Families would be affected and the perennial cry of increasing unemployment would reach a crescendo. The popular saying ‘’No gain without pain’’ will suffice here. It is like the pains of a woman going into pregnancy and after nine months is delivered of a baby. The pains are there but the relief after the pangs of childbirth and the joy of a baby in the home bring satisfaction.

    Nigerians will in a short while begin to see the result of this dynamism when the remodelled airports begin to work.

    • Ola Ogundolapo

    Omagwa, Rivers State