FG seeks N35bn for airport perimeter fencing
…as concerns mount over N5.87bn World Bank loan
To ensure safety and security of major airports in Nigeria, the government is shopping for over N35 billion to fence the aerodromes in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) laid down rules, Woleshadarenews has learnt.
This is notwithstanding the huge budgetary outlay by the Federal Government in the procurement of technology to tackle incursions at major airports.
The Cost could also go higher, according to experts who spoke with our correspondent.
The cost of perimeter security adds up quickly when you include man-hours (contract security personnel, local police personnel, etc.); physical barriers (fences, barbed wire and gates); and technology (radar, cameras, intrusion detection devices, etc.).
Only the Abuja international airport is fully fenced; the reason incursions at the airport are almost non-existent. Port-Harcourt International Airport is worst in terms of surveillance and security as the aerodrome lacks the facility.
Lagos airport is partially fenced. Some of the erected walls of the airport bordering parts of Shasha, Akowonjo, Ejigbo of Lagos state are broken, with people intruding to sensitive areas of the airport for hunting expedition and other activities.
A top official at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) told this newspaper that the Federal Government would need to procure at least N35 billion to construct perimeter and operational fences across all the 22 airports operated by FAAN.
The sum is expected to take care of the over 500 kilometre landmass across the 22 airports in the country.
The source gave a breakdown, saying each of the 22 airports is about 50 kilometre long and would require serious investments for all of them to be properly fenced in line with to the ICAO.
ICAO security guidelines prescribe that all airports must be secured with double perimeter fences.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have queried what the Federal Government did with N5.87 billion World Bank credit facility for perimeter fencing and other infrastructural equipment such as fire tenders.
The Abuja airport fencing was said to have gulped $65 million. While many who spoke to our correspondent under condition of anonymity agreed that the World Bank credit was administered by the firm because of trust factor for the Abuja project, they wondered what happened to budgetary allocations for the same projects for Port-Harcourt and Lagos year in, year out.
The World Bank had in 2007 approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit of N5.87 billion for Nigeria under the West and Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Security project.
The World Bank task team leader of the project, Pierre Pozzo di Borgo had said then: “In Nigeria like in the rest of the West/Central Africa, Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) are the guardians of aviation safety and security without, which the sector cannot achieve sustainable growth”.
He said: “By joining the West and Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Security programme, Nigeria is re-affirming its commitment to granting its Civil Aviation Authority with the necessary administrative and financial autonomy to fulfil its regulatory and oversight role in a rapidly expanding sector of its economy.”
At the request of the Nigerian government, the World Bank initiated the second phase, which will help the country address serious lapses in aviation security, and safety following the three plane crashes in 2005 and 2006.
Spokeswoman for FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the airport perimeter fencing project is one of the major priorities of the airport authority, stressing that the project would be captured in 2019 budget.
Yakubu, who spoke against the backdrop of the recent incident at Akure Airport, where a herd of cows invaded the runway when an aircraft was getting ready to land is being addressed.
She said though, Akure Airport has perimeter fence, but the cows gained access to the runway through sections of the fence that had collapsed.
The reality is that perimeter security poses a significant challenge for any airport.
Most airports protect their borders with layers of security that includes fences, cameras and patrols.
The challenge perimeter security presents at any given airport is related to the physical size of the airport and the local topography, weather and geography.
Google+