ICAO commences security audit of Nigerian airports

Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos

A team of auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation has commenced the ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme for airports across the country.

It was learnt that the security audit, which commenced on Sunday, began at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos by the ICAO team made up of four members.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, told our correspondent that the team would look at the areas of regulatory framework and the national civil aviation security system, training of aviation security personnel, quality control functions, airport operations, aircraft and in-flight security, as well as passenger and baggage security.

Others are cargo, catering and mail security, response to acts of unlawful interference and the security aspects of facilitation.

It was learnt that the audit would also ascertain the country’s capability on issues of general security across the airports.

“Members of the audit team are Karen Zadoyan, Steven Neu, Nuno Miguel Silva Ferreira Fortes and Wendy Mueller,” the NCAA said in a statement on Sunday.

It noted that the audit would run for about nine days and end on June 9, 2015.

The NCAA is the statutory regulatory body responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of the national civil aviation security programme.

It said in the statement, “In our preparations, adjustments have been made in some areas. These are in response to ICAO’s compliance checklist, state aviation security activity questionnaire, state corrective action plan and review of all relevant NCAA aviation security documentation, which include the national civil aviation security programme.

“Others are the national civil security training programme, national civil aviation security quality control programme, and scheduled inspections, surveys and audits of airports nationwide.”

The Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, said the objective of the audit was to determine the states’ capability for security oversight by assessing the implementation of the critical elements of a security oversight system.

He noted that thereafter, recommendations would be made for the contracting states to improve their security systems and oversight capabilities.

The DG reiterated his call on all stakeholders in the industry to join hands with the NCAA to ensure another successful audit similar to that of 2008.