Posted by Akin Olukunle, Horatius Egua and Oluseto Olatuyi on
Security in and around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has been tightened, following the spate of terrorist bombings across the world.
Security in and around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has been tightened, following the spate of terrorist bombings across the world.
The development coincided with the announcement on Monday by the Minister of Aviation, Dr. Babalola Borishade, that the runway of the airport would be shut for four hours on Tuesday(today) to facilitate the patching of potholes there.
Our correspondents, who visited the nation's premier airport, on Monday, reported that the Airport Police Command had upgraded its bomb disposal unit to screen travellers and visitors going in and out of the terminal and other strategic points of the airport.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the MMA Command, Mr Fabian Ojiri, said the security beef-up was extended to the tarmac where policemen would not only check intruders but guard aircraft.
He said, 'We have our men on the tarmac. We had been doing that, but now we have reinforced them. I make sure that they equally patrol the runway to make sure we do not have anything similar to the Port Harcourt incident whereby cows strayed into the tarmac.
'We have also reinforced our bomb disposal unit both at the terminal and the points of entry into the airport.
'We want to make sure that all the people coming into the airport have business to do or are passengers travelling."
Ojiri, who spoke exclusively with our correspondents, advised that Close Circuit Televisions be installed in strategic locations in the airport.
'The command needs camera equipment. If they can be installed around, we can monitor movements and see people even right from my office," he said.
The police chief added that the MMA Command needed more bomb disposal personnel and equipment at the airport.
Also on Monday, Dr. Borishade told journalists and officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority that the active runway at the MMA would be closed to traffic between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday to enable the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria repair all its damaged parts.
Borishade said the patching of potholes on the 18L runway was to forestall accident.
The minister explained that the period chosen for the repair work was right because that would be when minimal flights were operated.
The General Manager, Public Affairs at FAAN, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, also explained that a notice was on Sunday sent to all airlines operating at the airport informing them of the intended repairs.
Adamu said the second runway at the airport (18R) which was hitherto undergoing resurfacing, would be used by aircraft during the daytime, and for other emergency landings pending the completion of work on 18L runway.
Borishade, who solicited the support of all airport workers towards rectifying all the problems militating against air safety and security, said none of the ministry's agencies should exonerate itself from all the recent incidents that threatened air safety.
He said, "Nobody is exempted from the blame for the incidents because you are supposed to monitor the industry. I have given you (NCAA) the power to sanction all concerned - operators, service providers inclusive. You are the only group that knows what to be done and what ought to be done. I want you to know that every action you take is critical to the safety of the industry.
"I solicit your cooperation so that the ugly perception of the industry could be reduced. Together we can achieve an aviation industry that is enviable around the world."
The British carrier, British Airways, on Sunday cancelled its flight to Lagos over what its officials termed uncertainty on the state of the only active runway at the MMA.
It diverted its flight to the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja, where it was sure of the safe landing of its Boeing 747 aircraft.
Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI has sent a message of condolence to the Egyptian government over the bombing that claimed the lives of 88 people on Saturday.
A statement by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, quoted the Pope as commiserating with the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of Egypt for the victims of the bombings.
'His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was deeply saddened to learn of the terrorist attacks at Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt and he expresses heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims,"Sodano said.
In condemning such act, the Pope appealed to all to renounce violence.
While praying for the eternal repose of the dead, he 'invoked upon all the afflicted the Almighty's blessings of comfort and strength."
The PUNCH, Tuesday, July 26, 2005