The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Aviation Round Table (ART)

  • Aviation group backs government on firearms for security personnel

    Industry think-tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) has expressed support for federal government’s approval of providing firearms to Aviation Security (AVSEC) officials as it is expected to enhance the National Civil Aviation Security Programme  (NCASP).

    This is just as the group strongly advised that to eliminate inter agency rivalry, a review of the airport security architecture to cover elements of the various security agencies needs to be carried out.

    Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika at the just concluded 5th Aviation Stakeholders’ Forum announced that in a matter of months Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security will be licensed to bear arms at airports across the country to heighten security following various security infractions that have happened around the country.

    The ART expressed its support for the approval in its statement delivered by the group’s PRO, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo where it said “The primary objective of AVSEC is the protection and safety of passengers, crew, ground personnel, aircraft and facilities serving civil aviation against act of unlawful interference in sterile areas of airport therefore the participation of other security agencies are inevitable in the airport security network.”

    “Consequent to this approval we strongly advise a review of the airport security architecture to cover elements of the various security agencies which will now form the new organogram.”

    “This will eliminate inter agency rivalry, foster cooperation, provide common platform to assess measure of effectiveness, process operational effectiveness and after action plans.”

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    The group however, said control of the security agency around the airport should be under the operational command of the new apparatus. The ART said  ”Please note that they administratively remain under their parent agencies but under the operational command and control of the new Airport Security Architecture.”

    “Furthermore, ART as a body will advise that selected men to bear arms be properly trained and tested in rudiment areas of arms handling, standard armory and trained armourer for safe keeping of ammunitions while necessary procedure for issuance, retrieval and accountability of expended rounds if necessary be put in place.”

    The group recalled, “In the 90s we delegated and rotated the heads of security agencies serving in the airports to supervise and control night operations which is akin to the United States TSA model.”

    “Security threats have evolved and we as a nation are challenged to find the nexus and best fit security architecture as our security challenges cannot be the same with other nations, therefore we cannot lift models hook line and sinker.”

     

  • Aviation, tourism can aid Nigeria’s exit from recession – Expert

    The Federal Government has been urged to focus on the aviation and tourism sectors as the country grapples with economic recession.

    Mr Gbenga Olowo, President, Aviation Round Table (ART),told journalists in Lagos on Tuesday that combining both sectors could help to accelerate Nigeria’s exit from recession.

    According to him, aviation has had its fair share of the dwindling economic situation in 2016, and a lot needs to be done to maximise its potential.

    “Like every sector of the economy, things have not been good in terms of economic performance.

    “Load factor has gone down, fewer passengers now travel and of course, we have less air cargo.

    “We are a consumer nation and cargo wants to come in but there is no money to buy it.

    “So the aviation industry has its own fair share of the recession, Olowo said.

    He said Nigeria must make good use of its available resources to diversify its economy.

    “I believe combining tourism and aviation will make money for us as a nation faster than any other sector with very little input.

    “For instance, most of our states have beautiful bridges and roads, they have functional street lights and traffic lights, and our policemen are getting more civilised.

    “These indices are in place and they are good enough for tourism,” Olowo said.

    He said all that was needed was to re-orientate the Nigerian people and the media to highlight the positive factors that the country had.

    “We must be more receptive to visitors to the country, and it should be right from the airport by our security agencies.

    “We must begin to package Nigeria as a tourist location. Our food is good, our hotels are nice, and our people are warm.

    “As a nation, in addition to agriculture and all the efforts the government is making, we must drive tourism, and aviation is the number one linkage.

    “Aviation is key and we should try and complete Bi-lateral Air Service Agreements with countries we don’t have with and encourage our airlines to put flights to those places and link us with them,” Olowo said.

  • Foreign airline’s flight reduction, a blessing – Expert

    Foreign airline’s flight reduction, a blessing – Expert

    A former President of the Aviation Round Table (ART), Capt. Dele Ore, on Wednesday, said that the reduction of flight operations in Nigeria by some foreign airlines was a blessing in disguise.

    Ore, who made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, urged indigenous airlines to take advantage of the move to secure a greater share of the market.

    Recall that two foreign airlines, Emirates Airlines and Kenya Airways recently announced the suspension of their flights to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    While Emirates Airlines said it would stop the flights to Abuja effective Oct. 22, Kenya Airways said its flights to the nation’s capital would be suspended from Nov. 15.

    Both airlines had attributed their decisions to the economic downturn in the country, foreign exchange scarcity and the shrinking passenger traffic on international routes.

    However, Ore said the restriction on foreign exchange by the Federal Government had exposed the antics of some foreign airlines in the country.

    He said: “How many Nigerians are employed by them? It’s all capital flight. If the government didn’t do that, we will not know how much money is leaving our economy but now it is obvious.

    “The ones who feel that because they cannot repatriate their funds are free to go back to their countries.

    “This is what will encourage the Nigerian government to support indigenous airlines’’.

    Ore also called for the review of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASAs) entered by Nigeria with some countries which had been having a negative effect on domestic airlines.

    “Today, we have no share of the market. Foreign carriers have 97 percent of the passenger traffic in this country, while Nigerian carriers have only three per cent.

    “So, it is difficult for Nigerian airlines to survive except government reviews some of its policies, especially the BASAs which allows for multiple entries for foreign airlines.

    “In the past, foreign carriers were only allowed one entry into the country which helped to strengthen the operations of domestic airlines.

    “But now, a foreign airline is allowed to go to Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt with 21 frequencies and modern aircraft, so, it is difficult for Nigerian carriers to compete.

    “For them to do that, they will require nothing less than 50 modern aircraft, so the policy from the government must change first and foremost,’’ he said.

  • Aviation Security: Expert calls for coordinated intelligence gathering

    Aviation Security: Expert calls for coordinated intelligence gathering

    Member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) and Chief Executive of Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (RTD) has said that to evade what transpired at Brussels Airport where terrorists detonated explosives at the airport, there is a need to coordinate intelligence and security efforts by gathering and adequately sharing information across board.
    In an interview  former airport commandant emphasized that the lessons from Brussels Airport goes beyond airport security calling for a national aviation security policy which emphasizes the role of intelligence in the gamut.
    Ojikutu said  ”The lessons from the Brussels terrorist attack is beyond airport security alone. It is more about national aviation security and the role of intelligence in the aviation security defence layers.”
    “It is about having names of valuable targets among the homegrown terrorists Boko Haram  listed on watch list or no fly list. Remember, it took us about  eight  years before we could start putting faces on those within the domestic terrorist cell before the military started putting those faces and names on the watch list.”
    “The question we must be asking the responsible authorities is; are those on the military watch list on the watch list for aviation security or have the list shared with responsible authorities at d airports on need to know?”
    “It is about intelligence or security agencies sharing names on d watch list with airlines and airport operators; it is about the immigration services sharing passengers names records with other countries on the principle of reciprocity as it is between done between US and European countries; it is about airlines having a system for advance passenger information services at the departure airport and sharing the information with destination airport. These are intelligence networks.”
    He went on,” Secondly, because the airport passenger terminal hall is a public area and therefore a soft target, we now need screening machines at all access gates into d terminal halls with capability for detecting improvised explosive vapour.”
    “We must be very concerned now about insider’s threats and must regularly conduct background checks on all staff working in d airport security controlled areas. These intelligence work are not necessarily the job for sniffer dogs’.
    “The Close Circuit Television (CCTV) is a good complement to airport security only if it can pre-empt the act of terror attack and not after the attack as it is now playing out in Brussels and had played out in other terror attacks before it in the 9/11, London, Milan and Paris attacks.”
    On the recent figures estimated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) stating that Federal Government would need to invest at least N25 billion to construct perimeter and operational fences across all the 22 government operated airports, he said it may be reasonable if it is spent where applicable and not a means of siphoning funds elsewhere.
    The security expert said,”N25billion may just be reasonable for providing perimeter and security fences for the nation’s 22 airports if and only if we seriously identify the difference between the two: ICAO, TSA & IATA lay emphasis on security fence (Annex 17) than perimeter fence (Annex 14).”