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•Says $300m hangars’ll be demolished for Lagos terminal expansion
By Chinelo Obogo
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has taken delivery of eight of 10 Volkan Lion 6×6 fire fighting vehicles delivered to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aeronautical Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS) worth over N12 billion.
Receiving the equipment at the weekend, Sirika outlined the importance of fire cover at any aerodrome, recalling the Loyola Jesuit Sosoliso crash of December 10, 2005 in Port Harcourt where a lack of fire cover caused the death of the children who survived the crash.
He said “To non- aviators and onlookers, you see fire fighting equipment but the importance and relevance is not brought into focus especially for people watching from afar whose only concern is to board aircraft and use air conditioned terminals.
“For us, that is important too but most important is to keep you safe. You all remember our children that left Abuja for Port Harcourt in the Sosoliso crash? We couldn’t save those children because even though the plane crashed, they were still alive but the airport did not have adequate fire cover to save those ones and parents were seeing their children burning alive.
“For 15 years, no fire tender has veen supplied to us, we just cannobalise two or three to make one and the absence of fire cover is the number one reason to shut down airports and even if you dont have enough, you downgrade the airport to a lower category,” he said.
Sirika also insisted on his intention to demolish over $300million Dominion Hangar and Evergreen Apple Nigeria in a couple of weeks saying that nothing can stop the development.
This is coming barely two weeks after a stakeholders forum where he reiterated plans to bring down the buildings housing the regional headquarters of FAAN, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA).
He said since the terminal in Lagos has been open to use, it has not reached its full capacity and that there is need for the demolition of the two facilities.
“We are not operating Lagos airport at full capacity. We have some obstructions that will be removed within the next one or two weeks to expand the apron so that Lagos will have full use 100 per cent.”
“We are going to demolish Dominion Hangar and Evergreen Apple Nigeria hangars to make way for the new apron and that would be in a few weeks,” he said.
Speaking earlier in his opening remark,Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu said the 10 super-structure, ultra-modern major firefighting vehicles were to be deployed to
MMA Lagos, NAIA Abuja and MAKIA Kano FAAN is processing for additional vehicles for Port-Harcourt and Enugu.
Giving a breakdown of the capabilities of the equipment, Yadudu said,” Each vehicle not only carries 14,000 litres of water; 1,700 litres of foam and 250kg powder capacity; it also monitors the discharge rate of between 6,000 litres to 10,000 litres per minute. Acceleration rate is from 0 to 80km/hour in 30 seconds.
“The truck can discharge while in motion (professional pump and roll operation) and is equipped with under chassis nozzles to tackle running fuel fire. These vehicles would be deployed to MMA Lagos, NAIA Abuja and MAKIA Kano while we are also processing for additional vehicles for Port-Harcourt and Enugu.
“In addition to acquisition of the major firefighting vehicles we have procured eight new water tankers for continuous agent applications and more will still come. Additional 11 ambulances were also procured to replace the obsolete ones that were bought in 1996. For the first time the Fire Chiefs have their Response Commanders’ Vehicles, the two new Prado jeeps were deployed to MMA and NAIA respectively, more will also be procured in due course.”
