Reps demand tighter security at airports

 

To better safeguard the lives and property of travelers, the House of Representatives has called for tighter security in and around airports across the nation.

The call came after a member named Jide Jimoh's motion of urgent public significance was adopted by the full body on Tuesday.

 The House voted to adopt the resolution "Need to Ensure Strict Security in and Around Our Airports and Other Critical Facilities," which encouraged the federal government to "improve on security standards at the airports, especially exploring technology."

Additionally, the legislators asked the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria and other pertinent aviation agencies to "pay more attention to security concerns and ensure the lives of citizens are not in any way endangered."

The House further asked security organizations to "make sure that dishonest elements are not permitted to foment trouble in any guise at the airports."

Jimoh based his move on an incident that took place at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday night, when Obiajulu Uja, a passenger on an Ibom Air flight between Abuja and Lagos, demonstrated against Bola Tinubu's inauguration as president on May 29, 2023.

Uja was removed from the aircraft in the viral footage that went viral on Saturday after he began a solitary protest demanding that the President-elect never be sworn in as President.

After delaying the plane for more than an hour, it took no fewer than six airport security guards to help him leave.

"The House notes that a man reportedly caused a commotion on an Abuja-Lagos flight over the weekend, preventing the aircraft from moving for more than an hour until airport staff eventually evacuated the man," Jimoh said in moving the motion.

"The House further observes that security comes first and that aggressive, long-term measures are required to enhance airport security. The incident on March 31, 2023, serves as a reminder to exercise prudence when it comes to traveler behavior in airports.

 "The House is concerned that airport security appears to be lax, as the said man should not have been allowed into the aircraft in the first place given reports that the man allegedly pretended to be an annoyance around the airport before being cleared for the flight, only for him to constitute himself into a risk.

The House is further concerned that the security breach put the lives of the innocent, law-abiding passengers on the plane in avoidable peril, despite the fact that the government was obligated to protect its citizens at all times.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and other government entities, in the opinion of the House, won't avoid their responsibilities.

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