More VIPs violate safety, security protocols at airport
23 July 2020 |
3:20 am
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has recorded more breaches of safety and security protocol by the privileged persons and security operatives.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has recorded more breaches of safety and security protocol by the privileged persons and security operatives.
The latest in the series is the Head of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), who allegedly assaulted an Aviation Security (AVSEC) in the line of duty at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Aviation workers under the aegis of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), have flayed such cases of assaults and violation of safety protocol, threatening to declare culprits persona non grata at the airports.
The threat was on the heels of some Very Important Persons (VIPs), among them, sitting and former governors that have been fingered for such abuses.
The Guardian learnt that the DSS boss assaulted the unnamed AVSEC official, who tried to screen another traveller, whose passage through a metal detector activated an alarm.
The Abuja Airport Manager, in a series of tweets yesterday, explained that the assault took place at the International Terminal of the airport.
The Tweet titled: ‘breach of security procedure and assault on AVSEC Officer by Head of DSS at the International Terminal of NAIA Abuja,’ read: “We note with dismay that Mr. Safiyanu Abba, the Head of DSS at NAIA deliberately obstructed airport security process and slapped an aviation security officer, who was performing his duty.
“He breached security procedures by obstructing further searching of a visitor, who had just walked through the metal detector as he activated the alarms. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria strongly condemns this abuse of power, and the security process in our airports, this has been duly escalated,” the tweets read in part.
President of NUATE, Ben Nnabue, expressed disapproval of the attitude of some highly placed Nigerians, who use the nation’s airports.
Nnabue said the reported incident of unruly behaviour by ex-governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, in which he allegedly physically assaulted an airport worker and prevented him from executing an important COVID-19 protocol of disinfecting his luggage, was quite abhorring and regrettable.
“There are reports of a similar incident in Port Harcourt recently. We had thought that the usual repugnant and abrasive attitude of many Nigerian VIPs would yield to the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic and allow reason to prevail at this trying time. These incidents show that that is not the case, which is quite unfortunate.
“We are compelled, therefore, to sound this note of warning to VIPs, and indeed all airport users that our union will henceforth take more than passing interest in the unruliness of any kind at Nigerian airports, especially as regards flouting of COVID-19 protocols.
“Accordingly, all airport workers are hereby directed to immediately report any such incident to local union officials for immediate mitigating action. In addition, any airport user who falls culprit in this regard will be declared persona non grata at all Nigerian airports and may as such be embarrassed if found within any airport premises.
“While we join the Federal airport’s Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to find mitigation for this kind of isolated case, and even as we continue to engage stakeholders on issues of Occupational Health & Safety (OHS), we shall urge all airport workers to continue to discharge their duties with the highest level of professionalism in order to make the airport environment COVID-19 compliant and safe for all users.
“In this regard, we wish to allay the fears of the travelling public and invite all to feel free and safe to travel with the approved airlines and through the approved airports which have been certified by the NCAA after thorough scrutiny,” Nnabue said.
Related
1 day ago
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is deeply worried about the various economic headwinds confronting the stability of the Nigerian economy.
1 day ago
Worried by the dwindling oil production and the need to drive investments in the nation’s oil and gas sector, the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has underscored the imperative of ramping up production as a pivotal strategy to ensure stability in the midstream and downstream sectors of the industry.
1 day ago
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is awaiting the Debt Management Office's (DMO) final review and approval of Citibank's $700 million loan mandate, which will fund the rehabilitation of the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos.
2 days ago
A foreign investor at TLG Capitals, Isaac Marshall, has attributed the naira gain to the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to clear the FX backlog. Nigeria's foreign exchange (FX) reserves have fallen to a six-year low, Marshall said in a statement on his LinkedIn account on Thursday. He stated that this decline…
2 days ago
Stakeholders in the insurance and pension industry have called on operators in the sectors to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) to drive business expansion in the country.
2 days ago
Though it does not have the power to regulate prices, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) will deploy an existing legal framework to enforce fair competition and consumer protection provisions to achieve fair prices of commodities.
2 days ago
Inflation in Nigeria is reaching its peak now and will decelerate toward the middle of the year, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, has said.
2 days ago
Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc has disclosed that the proposed N600 billion recapitalisation scheme by way of rights issue would settle N153 billion outstanding foreign exchange (FX) losses and part of its local bank debt facility.
2 days ago
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is seeking a new approach to energy security amidst geopolitical concerns and a push from fossil fuels.
2 days ago
The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) 2024 yearly lecture, slated to take place on April 23, at the Civic Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, has its theme as "Improving Availability of Credit in the Nigerian Real Economy: The Critical Importance of Liquidity."
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.