The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has sent over a special unit to Nigeria to audit some of the country’s busiest airports. The agency, which the United Nations uses to regulate the global aviation industry, arrived in Nigeria to conduct security audits of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The exercise is set to run for 2 weeks.
- ICAO's specialized unit is set to conduct security audits at Nigeria's busiest airports.
- The assessment focuses on critical aviation security areas including passenger and baggage security.
- Nigeria commits to cooperation and promises enhanced safety measures following previous audits.
A report by The Punch newspaper noted that “the audit exercise tagged, the 2024 ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme through Continuous Monitoring Approach for Lagos and Abuja airports, will cover critical aviation security areas such as Inflight Security, Passenger and Baggage Security, Acts of Unlawful Interference, Facilitation, Legislation, Training, Quality Control Function, Operations, and Cargo, Mail and Catering.”
Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, on Monday, made the information public via a signed statement.
The four-man unit consisting of Callum Vine (team lead), James Mabala, Tebogo Mphela, and Alagie Jeng, will run the exercise for two weeks up until March 22, 2024.
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The ICAO auditors were greeted and the goals of the USAP CMA were emphasized by Chris Najomo, the acting director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
The director-general also included additional objectives aimed at evaluating a country's adherence to ICAO's Annex 9 and 17 concerning Facilitation and AVSEC standards, integral components of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
“As part of the on-site auditing process, both Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja have been selected as airports where verification of the implementation of security measures will be carried out,” the statement partly read.
He gave the ICAO auditors confirmation that Nigeria had beefed up its safety regulations since the previous audit and promised full cooperation to ensure a smooth operation.
