FAAN admits fault in failed security alert

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), on Thursday, admitted operating non-functional security scanners at some major airports in Nigeria.

Engineer Saleh Dunoma, MD, FAAN

This disclosure was made during the agency budget defence session before the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation in Abuja.

Chairman of the House Committee, Rep. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, made the observation while going through the 2016 capital budget, wherein she expected to see an allocation for the repair or replacement of the faulty security scanning machines at the airports, having noticed that the one at the Port Harcourt International Airport was not functional.

“I went to Port Harcourt for oversight in 2015 and discovered that the scanners were not working. And when I asked, I was told they had not been serviced; that even a brand new vehicle needed to be serviced for it to function properly.

“I have to say this because this is the essence of the exercise and thank God the press is not here. You have to put those scanners in working condition as they are the bedrock of airport security in and out of the country,” Onyejeocha said.

Saleh Domuna, Managing Director of FAAN, said that the agency was in the process of engaging the suppliers of the scanners to do maintenance for it.

“We have asked them to tell us the parts that are needed for maintenance, because the bills they are giving us are very high and we are also looking at training some of our staff to do the maintenance, because if you don’t have in-house technicians, you’d continue to spend more money”, he said.

The Committees also raised issue concerning the construction of FAAN’s corporate office, wondering why the project kept reappearing in the budget every year.