FAAN, NSA collaborate to streamline baggage checks, reduce passenger inconvenience at Nigerian airports
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) have announced a strategic partnership aimed at minimizing physical contact between security personnel and passengers’ baggage at Nigeria’s international airports.
The initiative seeks to address long-standing complaints of delays and inconvenience caused by multiple baggage checks conducted by various military and paramilitary personnel stationed within airport terminals.
In response to escalating grievances from travelers, aviation industry experts have advocated for a more efficient and centralised approach to baggage screening. Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of FAAN, revealed that both agencies have devised short and long-term measures to tackle the issue, including the establishment of a joint coordination room equipped with CCTV cameras.
Mrs. Kuku expressed her concern over the prevalent issue, emphasizing that it was a top priority upon assuming her role.
She recounted discussions with the National Security Adviser, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, to streamline facilitation processes and alleviate passenger discomfort.
Acknowledging the complexity of the problem, Mrs. Kuku highlighted the involvement of multiple agencies such as Customs, NDLEA, Quarantine, Agriculture, and EFCC in baggage checks.
According to her, efforts to reduce redundancy and enhance efficiency include a short-term intervention to decrease the number of agencies present at airports and a long-term plan to establish a joint coordination room for enhanced surveillance.
She disclosed saying, “We have agreed on a few things, the first one is a short term intervention where we reduce the number of agencies at the airports because we have some that were doing just sort of routine checks, just moving around to observe rather than disturbing passengers.
“The second is the longer term, a joint coordination room, we do have cameras, so we are asking all of those agencies, depending on what it is they are looking for to move to the joint coordination room to look at the cameras and observed and for those that are more concerned with the baggage, they can move down to where we load the bags, that way they have better visibility than disturbing passengers.”
Addressing the necessity of baggage inspections, Mrs. Kuku clarified that secondary screenings were often mandated due to concerns over scanning device reliability and security.
She assured passengers of FAAN’s commitment to resolving the issue by implementing dual-view cameras and relocating explosive detection equipment to minimise physical inspections.
Drawing parallels with international practices, Mrs. Kuku cited examples from airports like Frankfurt, where secondary screenings are commonplace for flights to certain destinations.
“If you go to Frankfurt for example, even after you get off the aircraft and go through security, for any flight that is departing for the US and certain countries, you will see that a secondary screening happens, is just that they are dipping their hands in your bags,” Kuku explained.
She urged passengers to exercise patience and emphasized the collaborative effort between FAAN and NSA to improve airport operations and passenger experience.
