FG sets May dateline to secure airports against touts

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to provide effective security in all the airports across the country from May 1, 2014, to control touts and crowds who wander about the airports.

This resolve was made known yesterday by the Chairman of Presidential Committee on Airport security, Sylvester Monye, when he led the committee to the office of the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro in Abuja on Wednesday.

Monye, said his committee will begin the enforcement of new strategies to transform how business is conducted in Nigeria’s airports from the said date.

He said the committee will remove all unnecessary road blocks and check-points in the airports, insisting that they are responsible for unnecessary congestions in the airports.

The chairman commended the foresight of the president to set up the committee because of the challenges that are being faced in the airports, stressing that his 11-man committee will work to transform a total of 22 airports into international standard.

According to him, the committee is tasked among others to control access to the airport and reenactment of security checks at the airports.

The Chairman of the committee who appealed for the support of the Ministry of Interior in carrying out the said activities, complained that most immigration officers at the airports are busy doing protocol jobs for dignitaries rather than carrying out their responsibilities.

Responding, Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Morro acknowledged that most of the airports in the country were not measuring up to international standard.

He said the changes were long overdue, adding that efforts of the committee will go a long way in checkmating security challenges being faced by the country.

Moro pledged the total support of the Ministry in ensuring the success of the committee.