NDC NEWS BULLETIN 2 September 2, 2013 STOWAWAY: AVIATION STAKEHOLDERS LAUD EFFORTS TO BOOST SECURITY AT AIRPORTS Sequel to the stowaway incident at Benin airport penultimate Saturday, aviation security experts have commended the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, for taking additional security measures to forestall runway incursions at airports in the country. The Chairman of Aviation stakeholders Squaretable, Capt. Balarabe Usman, told newsmen that the aviation industry had suffered many years of neglect which was inherited by the present administration. Usman noted that security equipment and facilities were allowed to decay, even as some were abandoned, adding that there were several efforts to build perimeter fencing at the various airports in the country, especially the major airports, but were abandoned halfway. Usman, who was the former Chief Security Officer of FAAN and an aviation security consultant, said if the agency had completed the initial projects on perimeter fencing, the situation would not have degenerated to the level where there was no perimeter fencing at some airports. 1 He said: “While we condemn the failure of FAAN to provide adequate security at the airside of some of these airports, we have to also commend the efforts being made by the Ministry of Aviation to reinforce security to forestall such incident happening in future. “I know that what this government inherited were decayed terminals, security equipment and non- existence facilities but since it started the remodelling programme, we have witnessed what have been achieved and we know that most airports in the country will have perimeter fencing and operational vehicles. “The Federal Government has started deployment of sophisticated screening equipment in various airports and simultaneously kicked off training of personnel to man this equipment.” A security expert and the CEO of Centurion Securities Limited, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), said during the auditing of airport security by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, that FAAN had failed to provide perimeter fencing and security fencing of airports in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He said the Category 1 safety status Nigeria obtained from the US Federal Aviation Administration was in the hope that the country would improve its security systems at the airports. FAAN said recently that bushes at airports would be cleared to ensure full view of the perimeter, allow both the control tower, FAAN fire and rescue observation posts and aviation security patrol teams have a sweeping view of the perimeter of an airport from their duty posts. It also declared that at every airport without fully functional perimeter fence, a security vehicle would be deployed to a point within full view of aircraft as it taxies out to take off and maintain visual scrutiny and, if necessary, respond to any situation until every departing aircraft is safely airborne 2 TWO PASTORS, 28 OTHERS NABBED OVER PIPELINE VANDALISM THIRTY suspected pipeline vandals, among them, two pastors and two teenagers were, weekend, arrested by officials of the Ogun State command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Isheri Olofin area of the state. The suspects, according to the Commandant, Mr Akinwande Aboluwoye, were arrested after a shoot-out. Recovered from the suspects, according to Aboluwoye, were canoes and 400 50-litre jerricans filled with siphoned petroleum product. Parading the suspects, among whom were six women, the commandant explained that the feat was achieved following a tip off. He said: “Immediately they sighted us, they opened fire, thereby leading to a gun battle. But when it became apparent that the heat was too much for them, they abandoned the products and jumped into the river and escaped. However, we were able to arrest their accomplices who reside in the area. We set the recovered canoes ablaze while surveillance has been intensified in that area.”. However, when the teenagers, Michael Oyedotun(13) and Azeez Ajani(12) were quizzed, they denied their involvment, saying they are apprentices in a tailoring workshop in the area. While Oyedotun claimed he was arrested while taking his bath at the Ogun River, Azeez admitted seeing jerricans around the area any time he wakes up. On his part, one of the pastors who identified himself as Nikuleyi Adesola, claimed he was arrested in the company of two female members of his church. According to him, “I live in the church. I was with two of my members when NSCDC officials ordered us to come out. I do not know 3 anything about the recovered jerricans or activities of vandals.” Meanwhile, the commandant has said the suspects would be charged to court soon. LAGOS GOVT EVICTS 200 OCCUPANTS OF DISTRESSED BUILDINGS No fewer than 200 occupants’ of three distressed buildings in Mushin Local Government area of the state were weekend evicted by the state government. It has also continued the demolition of one of the three buildings; a four-storey, located on 34 Adeyemi Street. The two remaining buildings awaiting demolition are a two-storey and a shopping complex located on 32 and 33 Adeyemi Street respectively. However, the evicted occupants have alleged that they paid N100,000 to un-named official of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, to allow them remain in the distressed buildings for another year before demolition. It was learnt that some of the buildings were erected over 22 years ago and were never renovated, but the landlords were only collecting rents worth over N200, 000 each annually. Vanguard gathered that five other buildings were also marked for demolition for allegedly contravening approvals among others. They may be demolished in a matter of days. Speaking, General Manager of LASBCA, Mrs. Abimbola Animashaun- Odunayo, said: “The occupants were evicted because the buildings are unsafe for habitation. They have obvious cracks and can collapse any moment. This was the reason for government action. They are dangerous 4 for habitation and if they collapsed today, about 200 occupants of the houses will suffer severe injury. We have to be proactive to ensure that buildings especially distressed ones do not collapse on the occupants. “To avoid loss of lives, a new slogan has been adopted; ‘kill the house, before it kills us’. We have issued the landlords of the affected buildings notices thrice directing their tenants to vacate the property. But they refused.” On the alleged bribery, she said: “I believe they made such allegation because they were upset. They believe that if they say that we can pardon them. Earlier, they appealed for a week extension, but we turned it down. We are all human beings. We have seen a lot of collapsed buildings and we have seen the number of causalities that died as buildings caved in. Why will anyone collect money from someone when we know that such building can collapse any moment? We have conscience.” FG GETS 21-DAY ULTIMATUM FROM NMA The last has not been heard about the crisis in the health sector as the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, will today hand the Federal Government a 21–day ultimatum to tackle the myriad of challenges and anomalies confronting the country’s health system or face another industrial action. This is coming on the heels of the suspension of a nine-day indefinite strike by the Medical and Health Workers Union after government agreed to their 5 demands. However, Nigerians may now have to contend with the new threat by the umbrella body of doctors in the country. A communique issued at the end of its 2013 National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Sokoto weekend, said the ultimatum was also for the Federal Government to resolve the ongoing destruction of what they described as “the fabric of professionalism and hierarchical order in Nigeria’s public hospitals and the health sector.” The communique, jointly signed by the President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele and the Secretary-General, Dr. Akpufuoma Pemu, said the non-negotiable stance of NEC is the enthronement of professionalism and international best practices. It said: “NEC resolved not to further tolerate the dislocation and unqualified suffering of doctors and other health workers, who are being owed salaries due to non-payment of wages occasioned by recurrent irregularities in the implementation of the centralised integrated personnel payroll information system, IPPIS. “Since the commencement of the implementation of IPPIS in federal public hospitals, it has greatly undermined the welfare of doctors many of whom have had to endure over three months of non-payment of salaries due to the irregularities in the implementation of IPPIS. “NEC, therefore, calls on government to urgently correct the numerous deficiencies within the next 21 days or stop the use of IPPIS as a means of payment of the salaries of doctors in public hospitals, pending when the irregularities in the IPPIS are sorted out with a perfect innocuous system put in place.” 6 They also mentioned the delay in the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, despite several appeals made by NMA to Government. The said that MDCN remains greatly handicapped by the fact that there was no judge/council chairman to preside over investigated cases brought before it. BENUE CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO UKUM COUNCIL MASSACRE Benue State Government has urged the state’s Police Command to unearth the masterminds of the recent killings at Ayati, Agena and Agbaye communities in Ukum Local Government Area, where a local militia reportedly massacred 13 persons, injured many and burnt down houses and huts of residents. Acting Governor of the state, Chief Steven Lawani, told journalists, yesterday, in Makurdi that “the state government is working in collaboration with the Police to fish out leaders of the gang responsible for the bloody attack.