On the Lagos Airport lighting cables’ theft

ORDINARILY airports across the world particularly the ones linking the different parts of the world supposed to be the mostly organised, safe and secure in view of the sensitive roles they play.

Top of the functions a complete established airport performs include; movements of humans and cargoes from one place to the other through air transportation services provided by aircraft.

Besides the air transport roles, airports serve as money spinner to governments across the world in view of the heavy business transactions that take place mostly in foreign currencies from international investors and even indigenous investors.

Therefore, this kind of environment that offers services requires absolute coordination and attention starting with the standard safety rules and highly cerebral and patriotic personnel of the different professions.

Since this is what obtains in other countries’ airports environment, Nigeria can therefore not afford to be a loner; moreso when aviation including airports business uses have universal rules otherwise known as best standards and recommended practices.

It is based on these facts that the various government agencies established to help the government make the airports and the sector in general conducive for seamless air transportation are expected to be wary of the calibre of workers they employ and dispatch to man the Airports  vicinity particularly the restricted areas.

In saner climes, before anybody is employed by all the relevant principal actors like the airlines, the government agencies, handling companies, uniform personnel and others , a thorough background checks must have been carried out on them in order to prevent any compromise.

The question is can we vouch for a similar scenario here in Nigeria? Most likely, the answer is contestable in view of the latest theft of runway lighting cables running into millions of Naira at the Lagos airport international runway 18Right.

Though the undesirable elements responsible for the unpatriotic act are yet to be apprehended, one obvious fact is the perpetrators are those who have the history of the components.

In other words, the thieves are from within the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the organization on whose shoulder rests the responsibility of managing and keeping the Airports safe and secured.

There might be accomplices from other sister agencies and even other workers from the other private companies providing services at the airport.

Though some people have been suspended with investigations already ongoing, one obvious fact is that nothing concrete may come out of the criminality in view of the previous incidents, which were swept under the carpet.

While the latest scandal has continued to elicit anger and disgust amongst stakeholders, among the many questions calling for answers include the whereabouts of FAAN aviation security officials, the status of the CCTV camera devices installed to monitor movements in and around the airport, how such criminality could take place without being detected. These lighting components are not just handy or pockety that can just be carted away easily.

It must be an all professionally carried out by a syndicate without being detected or perhaps those who should have accosted them with part of the syndicate.

This has again brought to the fore the issue of insider threats, which obviously played a key role in the latest scandal as some FAAN workers who directly have the contacts to the runway site must have colluded with other airport workers to carry out this national sabotage.

Those responsible must have been getting away with this wickedness, but with the wind of changes blowing under the new government, it is hoped that those behind this illegality will be fished out and dealt with according to the law.

The ability of the government to unravel this mysterious theft will go a long way in sending signal to the workers who engage in this sabotage that it is no longer business as usual. All hands are on the deck to see how FAAN intends to tackle this injustice that a few dealt on the generality of over 200 million Nigerians who have equal stake in the airport as a national heritage.

There is the urgent need for government to rid the airport environment of such dangerous workers hence,  the whole world will see the country as a huge joke that cannot be trusted with security of safety components.