For the purpose of safety and security the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has acquired an automatic surveillance patrol system to monitor and detect all activities within the perimetre of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and even beyond the facility.
The disclosure was made by the Managing Director of the agency, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, over the weekend after the visit of some of the members of the House of Representatives sub-committee on Ajao Estate Demolition round the estate where some houses built close to the airport’s perimeter fence were pulled down recently.
“We have procured a radar surveillance patrol system, which is automatic and zooms around 360 degrees with a radius of about 8km, which means it goes beyond the airport itself. It can spot anything beyond the airport. We spent about three years processing it and right now, it is on the high sea for installation at Lagos and Abuja airports. If it detects any image, even a rabbit it will focus on it.
“We also bought a mobile rationale video for that purpose. We have the automatic and the manual patrols. They are very effective for the people residing in the area,” he said.
Yadudu explained that the demolished houses at Runway View Estate in Ajao Estate were taken down because they “were illegally constructed and left standing in the positions that are clearly very dangerous to our operations.”
He recalled that some years earlier, FAAN met with the lawmakers and “made it clear that our motive and primary aim of the exercise was for safety and security of flight operations and also the safety and security of those inside the house.
“The exercise is for the dual purposes of our own safety and security and overall, for international standards. There is a purpose and direction for removing the illegal structures. The illegal owners may have lost money, but we saved lives,” he added.
To protect the airport land from further encroachment, the Managing Director said: “FAAN will continue to do oversight, monitor and carry out surveillance of the place in conjunction with the other residents of the area.
“We also have regular patrols in those areas. We are going to quickly re-erect and protect the fencing,” he said.
On why it took so long before FAAN acted, Yadudu said: “We were briefing the residents on development. This is something that has been happening over the past 30 years. For the time that it happened, we were not there.
“In fact, we were forced to take this action; there is the need for us to protect the airport for recertification.”
He absolved FAAN of laxity while illegal structures were constructed on the airport’s land.
“What went on is not for lack of patrol, but clear willful disregard to the laws. It has always been protected.
“People are not listening. They kept on building. Now, we have a bigger reason; the recertification of the airport. The international community knows it is a violation of safety.
“When we got the first one, these factors were among the issues they raised and they gave us time to remedy it before they return for recertification.
“We told them to give us one year to address it, but it took us four years to achieve,” he said further.
Also speaking, the chairman, House sub-committee on Ajao Estate Demolition, Mr. Ifeanyi Momah, said “the house committee on aviation will communicate to Nigerians on their fact finding on the exercise.”
“We came for an on-the-spot assessment after the session that we had with the management team of FAAN.
“The committee will make their position known officially to the public in due course. The committee will address the media on some of the lingering issues,” Momah said.