FG Sets up C'ttee on Passengers' Safety over Planned Closure of Abuja Airport

A security committee has been inaugurated by the Federal Gov­ernment to ensure the safety of passengers on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and other roads leading to the Kaduna Airport during the closure of Abuja Airport and relocation to Kaduna Airport.
Since the Federal Govern­ment announced its plans to shut down the Abuja Airport for six weeks to repair its di­lapidated runway and relocate operations to Kaduna Airport, stakeholders in the industry have expressed concerns on the safety of air passengers on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.

At the inauguration of the committee in Abuja on Thurs­day, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Siri­ka, charged the members to ensure the safety of life and property of local and foreign travellers during the period.
Sirika defined major the major functions of the sub-committee within the six weeks’ closure of Abuja Air­port as providing security at the Abuja and Kaduna Air­ports including road, air and rail transportation, monitor­ing traffic movement from Abuja to Kaduna Airports, providing security for pas­sengers and cargoes between Abuja and Kaduna Airports and addressing any other se­curity related issues.
He said: “it is my sincere hope that this committee be­ing inaugurated today will live up to its mandate by making sure that within the six weeks’ period of closure, security should be water-tight for the massive movement of passen­gers, cargo/luggage and other logistics to and fro Kaduna. Your job is to be proactive on any security challenge.”
The committee’s chairman, AIG Alkali Baba of the Nige­ria Police Force, assured the minister that the members will work with other security agencies during the period.
Members of the security sub-committee are the Nige­ria Police force, the Director­ate of Safety and Technical Policy, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Air force.
Others are the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Im­migration Service (NIS) , the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVESEC), the De­partment of Air Transport Management and the Fed­eral Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

(The Authority Newspapers)