FAAN canvasses synergy to tackle security breach at airports

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has called for synergy among security agencies across airports in the country to stop security breach at airports.
Information sharing, according to FAAN, is imperative to collectively tackle any security issue, adding that no security agency can work in isolation or handle security matters alone.

Director of Aviation Security, FAAN, Group Captain Usman Abubakar Sadiq (rtd.), at the annual lecture/seminar of the Aviation Security Department in Lagos, noted that AVSEC plays an integral part of national security, statutorily charged with the responsibility of providing security services at airports nationwide.

Sadiq said this responsibility was clearly spelt out in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Security Manual DOC-8973- “Safeguarding Civil Aviation against Unlawful interference” which includes the safety of passengers, airlines, ground personnel, crew members, the public and facilities.He said every security agency plays a role in the overall security of the nation and as such all must not carry themselves as being superior to the other but must work as partners in progress to ensure the airport is safe and free of security breaches.

“Thus, as the security architecture or security sector is not complete without the military, police of intelligence service so also is the absence of aviation security in national security set up is incomplete due to the specialized security service it renders.

“The most important thing is to consider the present state of collaboration among security deployed to our airports. There are gaps in the areas of cooperation, information sharing and synergy, which need to be closed in order to meaningfully tackle the security challenges facing the nation,” he said.In his welcome address, the Airport Chief Security at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Mammam Sadiku, reiterated that AVSEC’s capacity was not only to effectively surmount the present challenges bordering on airside security but to ensure adequate security and protection of all stakeholders and investment.

Sadiku expressed appreciation to FAAN management for their support in carrying out the duties.Contributors to the lecture stressed the need for heads of security agencies at the airport to give importance to meetings held monthly to discuss security matters and the way forward.

Security Service Manager, Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), Commodore Mohammed Badamasi, expressed displeasure over the less importance given to such meetings when subordinates of heads of agencies are sent to represent their bosses.

Badamasi said: “I think we have not given security the needed importance it deserves, airport security committee meetings you have heads of security agencies that are supposed to be the main people but they do not attend, rather they send all sorts of representatives, that shows the level of importance they attach to that important decision making body.”