Following Senator Osita Izunaso’s recent outburst over what he described as a “national embarrassment” caused by touting and begging at Nigerian airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has rolled out a comprehensive set of measures aimed at cleaning up operations and improving passenger experience across major terminals.
It rolled out these plans in a document sighted by our correspondent, titled “Position Document on Measures to Address Corrupt Practices and Enhance Passenger Experience at MMIA and GAT,” which was signed by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The framework, developed after an emergency high-level meeting involving FAAN’s Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, and other heads of agencies working within the airport, outlines Operation Air Clean, an initiative designed to eliminate corrupt practices, enhance transparency, and improve airport operations, particularly at Murtala Muhammed International Airport and the General Aviation Terminal in Lagos.
Among the measures proposed is the dissolution of joint inspection tables by security agencies, to be replaced with intelligence-driven passenger screening, individual profiling, and camera-based monitoring.
The document also states that the Department of State Services and Immigration Service will now share counters to ease passenger flow, while Customs officers will relocate to Aviation Security screening points for money declaration purposes.
FAAN plans to introduce greater transparency in passenger search procedures. Secondary screenings for arriving passengers will now be conducted in designated profiling rooms at Terminals 1 and 2, with real-time information screens displaying the names, agencies, and contact details of officers on duty. FAAN says this measure will “ensure transparency and accountability.”
Agency roles are also being redefined. NDLEA personnel will partner with AVSEC at screening points and conduct roving checks, while DSS personnel will maintain surveillance around departure and screening areas.
