The Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) has raised the alarm over the existence of numerous airstrips in the country, warning that safety and security could not be guaranteed in some of them.
General Secretary of ANAP, Mr. Abdulrazaq Saidu, who stated this in an interview with aviation journalists over the weekend at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos also urged the Federal Government to suspend its plan to concession the airports noting that the state of insecurity across the country made the proposal unfavourable and dangerous.
“Just recently, somebody beat the security to gain access to the aircraft at Lagos Airport. If the government concessions the major gateways, it will be a haven for drug peddlers, money launderers and importation of unapproved ammunitions. We will be sitting on the keg of gunpowder,” said Saidu.
Saidu said some airstrips across the country were breeding grounds to various crimes inimical to air safety and demanded strict government regulations on airtrips.
For instance, he queried why Osubi airstrip would be allowed to operate with navigational services provided by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) without the presence of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), especially its security officials.