The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has inaugurated a Ministerial Committee on the assessment of the security situation in Nigeria’s airports. The minister of state, while inaugurating the committee yesterday in Abuja, said the importance of security at the nation’s airports cannot be over-emphasised.

He said it became necessary to put in place a committee to look into the security situation in Nigerian airports in order to proffer solutions to them.

Sirika added that the safety of the users of the airports and infrastructure in the airport is of upmost importance to the present administration and so it will take any possible action that is needed to aid the provision of security at the airports.

Senator Sirika said the committee, which comprises of nine members with representation from

seasoned operators in the aviation security industry and a representative of National Security Adviser (NSA), has three weeks to complete and submit the report and recommendations to the

government for appropriate action.

The committee has as its Terms of Reference:

*Identifying deficiencies in the overall aviation security performance of individual airports and assessing the risks associated with such deficiencies;

*Providing prioritised recommendations to assist Individual airports in addressing identified deficiencies;

*Review Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Security Architecture and identify weaknesses; determine the vulnerability or otherwise of the nation’s airspace and proffer solutions to ameliorate identified gaps; identify the vulnerability of the nation’s airports to security breaches and suggest ways to

fix them; carry out security survey of the nation’s international airports with a view to enhancing the implementation of security provisions in line with the Airport Security Programmes (ASP), NCAA and ICAO provision;

*Assess the nation’s International Airports security performance, in terms of the level of implementation of the critical elements of an aviation security oversight in line with ICAO Standards of Annex 17 and Security and the relevant security-related standards of Annex 9; and

*Examine other issues related to security not covered by the above terms and proffer solutions.

The chairman of the committee, Air Commodore H. Tukur, thanked Senator Sirika for considering him and other members worthy of the assignment, and promised that the committee will deliver on time. He added that the committee members will be very thorough in their assessment. He however appealed to all stakeholders for cooperation during the assessment. Air Commodore Tukur seized the opportunity to congratulate the minister on his appointment as the minister of state, aviation, saying he is a round peg in around hole.

Other members of the Committee on the Assessment of Security Situation in Nigeria’s Airports are; Capt. Bello Ocheja (rtd.), Alhaji Abdullahi Suleiman Ciroma; Mr. Ayodele Obilano; Engr. Akin Olateru; Olugbenga Odunowo; ACI Dahiru Ance (RTD), Alhaji Munzali Umar and a representative of the NSA.

•Photo shows Senator Sirika.

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