FAAN, NSA plan to cut physical security checkpoints at airports

• According to FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku, the agency and ONSA have agreed on short-term and long-term measures to address the issue
  

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced plans to streamline security checkpoints at the country’s airports, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

This move comes in response to traveler complaints about lengthy delays caused by multiple physical security checks.

According to FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku, the agency and ONSA have agreed on short-term and long-term measures to address the issue.

These measures include the establishment of a joint coordination room where all agencies can monitor CCTV cameras and perform necessary checks. Kuku highlighted that addressing the multiple security checkpoint issue was a priority upon her assumption of office, and she has had productive discussions with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to develop effective solutions.

She said, “On the issues of the checking of baggage, it borders me so much and that was the first inquiry that I made when I assumed office. As far back as 2011 and 2012 when I was in the industry, I have worked on this with the former Minister.

“It goes beyond FAAN, a lot of those agencies, Customs, NDLEA, Quarantine, Agriculture, we now have EFCC, we have almost everybody at the airports, we had Executive order 001 during the Buhari administration to move them out under the then Vice President office, now we have the National Single Window, I have personally sat with the NSA over the last five weeks to have conversations with him as to how we will streamline the facilitation.”

Hinting at resolutions which came out of her meeting with the security agencies, Kuku said, “We have agreed on a few things, the first one is a short-term intervention where we reduce the number of agencies at the airports.

“The second is the longer term, a joint coordination room, we do have cameras, so we are asking all of those agencies, depending on what it is they are looking for to move to the joint coordination room to look at the cameras and observe and for those that are more concerned with the baggage, they can move down to where we load the bags.”