The Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku has called for support of heads of all security agencies at Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos to tackle the persistent problems of touting and harassment of passengers at screening points.
At a meeting held on Tuesday December 2, 2024, Kuku who made it clear that it is her avowed commitment to eradicate touting and extortion at Nigerian airports; to enhance passenger experiences, therefore called for unified action to achieve the critical objective and zero tolerance for misconduct.
Emphasising the urgency to clean up airport terminals and eliminate unpatriotic practices among officers, Kuku made it clear that it is no longer business as usual, saying, she has the backing of Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo(SAN) to launched “Operation AirClean.”
In a statement, Obiageli Orah, FAAN’s spokeswoman averred that the initiative was developed to improve collaboration among security agencies and to streamline passenger search processes, ultimately to enhance the overall travel experience. It also aims to eliminate extortion and harassment of passengers, as well as to completely eradicate touting activities at the airport.
Orah added that the FAAN Chief Executive ordered the immediate dismantling of search tables at screening points and mandated that technology be leveraged to reduce manual searches and improve interactions with passengers. Collaboration and intelligence sharing among agencies were also deemed essential for enhanced service delivery.
Orah said, “The FAAN MD/CE announced that her administration would deploy mystery shoppers equipped with body cameras to assess the performance of officials at both arrival and departure security and screening areas.”
The meeting which was highly participatory, gave representatives from various agencies the opportunity to offer suggestions and solutions to improve services and enhance passenger experience while eliminating touting and soliciting at the airport.
The heads of the security agencies reiterated their commitments to improved oversight of their officers and ensure accountability on duty. It was also resolved that secured and designated area will be provided as a waiting area for visitors.
The meeting agreed that setting up of mobile courts within the airport environment will expedited prosecution of offenders.
Kuku stated that FAAN directors would actively engage in monitoring efforts; while existing task forces were directed to intensify their activities and any officer found guilty of misconduct must be reported to their agency head without delay.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Nigerian Air Force(NAF), Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Quarantine Services, (NAQS) Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Directorate of Security Services, (DSS), Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) and Aviation Security Services. (AVSEC).
