Business
Airports Now More Secure – NAMA
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said on Saturday that security at the airports had improved following the September 11, 2001, bombing of the World Trade Centre (WTC) twin towers in the United States of America (USA).
The General Manager, Public Affairs of NAMA, Mr Supo Atobatele, disclosed this while, reviewing security efficiency in the aviation sector in the last 10 years.
It would be recalled that the WTC twin towers were bombed by al- Queda terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, killing about 3,000 people and destroying property worth billions of dollars.
According to the general manager, there has been more security consciousness and awareness at airports across the world following the bombing.
“The bombing was a wake up call to handlers of both local and international airports around the world,’’ he said.
The general manager recalled that before that incident, hijacking of planes by terrorists was rampant in the aviation industry.
“ Nobody ever thought that somebody could hijack a plane and set it on a collision with tall buildings, killing both passengers and pilots,’’ he said.
Following that ugly incident, all airports have beefed up their security networks with modern screening gadgets to prevent anyone carrying explosives on board aircraft to attack passengers.
“We now have machines to detect explosive materials be they liquid or any other type and also physically screen passengers,’’ he said.
Atobatele said that security at the nation’s airports should be the responsibility of passengers and airport officials.
“If passengers hear funny conversations from others or see suspicious items at the terminals, they should alert the security agents at the airport and NAMA would take it up,’’ he said.
He added that NAMA had installed navigational aids in and around the airports and surrounding bushes to ensure safe landing of aircraft.
He also said that the installation of facilities had been completed at the Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos international airports while the Control Tower of the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, would soon be completed.
According to him, close circuit televisions (CCTVs) have also been installed at the airports.
He also said that NAMA was collaborating with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to ensure hitch-free flights during the downpours.
He said that the agency had installed a wave direction radar inside the Control Tower that would assist pilots to determine safety of flights.
The general manager said that NIMET equipment on the runway had been configured into the NAMA radar systems to give accurate weather report to pilots for their safety and those of the passengers on board.
Business
NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products
Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.
The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.
The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.
“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.
NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.
