Published on 28/11/2023
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the sum of N3.2 billion for the acquisition of modern scanners, aiming to streamline the manual bag-checking process at 5 major international airports in the country.
The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, revealed this after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The plan includes implementing advanced explosive and narcotic detection screening systems at major international airports namely Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Aminu Kano International Airport and the Enugu International Airport.
Rather than relying on manual bag searches, these advanced detection machines will efficiently identify explosives or other illicit substances as bags pass through the screening process.
The acquisition of these machines is expected to be a significant development for Nigeria’s aviation sector. The country was recently recognized, alongside Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, and Tanzania, as one of the top four four in aviation safety in Africa.
What Minister Festus Keyamo said:
“This is what Nigerians would be interested in because since I came to office, we have been inundated with complaints of the harrowing experiences that passengers go through at the airports where they have to physically search their bags,”
“I’m sure you all know about that, and it’s been really getting under the skin of Nigerians. You’ll see various agencies lined up; NDLEA, they’ll say open your bag, Immigration, they’ll say open your bag, Customs, they’ll say open your bag, EFCC, they’ll say open your bag, and they will dip their hands in your bag,” he said.
Keyamo noted the plan to implement a system similar to the TSA in America, involving the use of detection machines. He mentioned that when bags pass through these machines, they swiftly identify explosives or any other illicit substances, eliminating the need for manual searches.
“So Council gave approval of a N3.2 billion award of contracts for the supply and installation of customized explosives and narcotics detection screening systems with remote and dual view,” he stated.
Keyamo also announced that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ratified Nigeria’s bilateral air service agreement with the Republic of Guyana.
He explained that the agreement, signed in 2014, had not been ratified until now. With this ratification, Guyana is now permitted to have direct flights to Nigeria.
