ICAO praises Nigeria’s robust airport security policies after audit of systems

Sade Williams/Business a.m.

Nigeria’s airport security policies came up for high praises by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after the global agency completed its security audit programme of the country’s airports.

ICAO described Nigeria as having very robust policies and agencies with clear mandates on airport security systems.

Callum Vine, who led an ICAO team that just concluded the Security Audit Programme known as the Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA) of Nigeria, said it was a successful one after the two-week exercise.

He made the remarks during the Audit Debrief at the weekend at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) headquarters at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The objective of the USAP-CMA is to promote global aviation security through continuous auditing and monitoring of member states’ aviation security performance, to enhance their aviation security compliance and oversight capabilities by regularly and continuously obtaining and analysing data on member states’ aviation security performance, including the level of implementation of the critical elements of an aviation security oversight system and the degree of compliance with the Standards of Annex 17 — Security and the relevant security-related Standards of Annex 9 — Facilitation, as well as associated procedures, guidance material, and security-related practices.

According to Vine, Nigeria scored very well in most of the key indicators and he praised the country for having very robust policies and agencies with clear mandates on airport security.

In a statement by Obiageli Orah, spokesperson of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the ICAO chief is reported to have also acknowledged the speed with which the personnel dealt with identified deficiencies without complaints.

According to the statement, Vine explained that the full report of the audit would be made available to Nigeria by ICAO within 60 days, after which there will be 30 days for the country to make comments.

He also added that after this, the country will be expected to file its plan to meet compliance with the organisation.

Also speaking at the debriefing, Olubunmi Kuku, managing director and chief executive officer of FAAN, said the Authority would use the results of the audit as a roadmap for continuous improvement in the services it renders to airport users and stakeholders.

Kuku urged all stakeholders to collaborate closely, share best practices, and remain vigilant in upholding the highest standards of security in the Nigerian aviation industry.

She thanked all government agencies, security bodies, government institutions, and heads of aviation agencies for their contributions to this incredible achievement.