Numerous security checks at Nigerian airports scaring investors

Numerous security agencies at the nation’s airports with their attendant conflicting functions are scaring genuine foreign investors, Business Day interactions with aviation sector stakeholders reveal.

Specifically, they say in this period that the economy needs foreign investments and currently striving for ease of doing business the prevalence of the security agencies, from the military to para-military serve as disincentive to investors as well as prospective ones.

This is because most times, several hours are expended on checks, mostly, manual, when these similar functions are carried out in advanced economies electronically and with few hands.

They say that while other countries have upgraded security facilities across their airports, thereby enabling faster and easier checks, Nigeria still lags behind in its security technology.

From investigations carried out by BusinessDay, more demands are made on passengers to present certain documents of identification and more security personnel have been put in place to put an extra check on passenger going in and out of the country.

Reports reaching BusinessDay by frequent travelers and analysts show there are still poor monitoring of perimeter fencing and lack of perimeter fencing and most airports were built on lands where the host communities are yet to realize that the airport facilities are off limit, so they device ways to still have access to the property that were formally theirs.

Wole Shadare, Aviation Expert said that passengers have complained of multiple check points at the airports which could be reduced if there were sufficient equipments and facilities in place.

Shadare cited examples of advanced airports such as those in Paris and Dubai which use the full body scanner to help detect objects on a person’s body without physically removing clothes or making physical contact. This he said is missing in most Nigerian airports today.

BusinessDay checks show that most advance airports screen passengers and their luggage usinga full-body scanner metal detectors, millimeter wave scanner, Backscatter X-ray machine  Explosive detection machines used include X-ray machines and explosives trace-detection portal machines.

John Ojikutu, Secretary General, Aviation Round Table, (ART), told BusinessDay that the Nigerian security apparatus at the airports is yet to rely on technology, intelligence and well trained personnel and that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) must have to fully modernize its security system and train its security personnel.

“The inadequacies in skilled manpower in Avsec are reasons for airlines in Nigeria to adopt secondary security screening for their passengers, carry-on luggage at extra cost. These are the costs that are passed on to passengers which they often complain about,” Ojikutu said.

“The issue of multiple checks at the airport is unacceptable and it is not obtainable in other international airports. Those conducting the checks are corrupt. It is not in the interest of this country. Government needs to step up in providing proper machineries and regulations so as to limit the number of checks in the airports,” Ayo Obilana, Chief Executive Officer, Selective Safety and Security Limited said.

Obilana said the government needs to support the Federal Airports Authority, (FAAN) to procure the necessary machines because these machines are very expensive.

Chris Aligbe, Chief Executive Officer, Belujane Consult, told BusinessDay that only immigrations check passengers overseas unlike Nigeria and some other African airports where both immigrations and customs check passengers.

IFEOMA OKEKE