Recently, the news filtered into the country’s aviation sector of how six workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had colluded with one or two outsiders to beat security network around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in an attempt to smuggle some cool raw good into an Emirate flight.
According to the Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office, the FAAN workers and their accomplice were members of a syndicate who deal illegally in gold.
Though the case is already in the court of law, but what transpired between the FAAN workers and the outsiders has gone to further question the commitment of many civil servants working in the different government agencies particularly the sensitive agencies in the aviation sector.
Relying on what the head of media and publicity of EFCC,Tony Orilade said, one of the suspects who was arrested on board Emirates Airlines to Dubai was allegedly helped by the FAAN workers to escape security checks.
In Orilade’s words: “The suspects allegedly ”carried the raw gold bars through various doors, while carefully avoiding going through the scanners provided at the airport and handed them to the second defendant at the point of boarding”.
In other words the crime was well planned and orchestrated between the outsiders and the FAAN workers in question without their knowing that their Waterloo was around the corner.
Again, one obvious point here is that these airport workers must have been engaged in this type of crime and getting away with them before their ‘intelligence’ disappointed them this time around.
Equally, this ‘G8’ group is definitely not the only one engaged in such unpatriotic deals as there are many others cut across the agencies, airlines, ground handling companies and even uniform personnel who use their privilege of having access to sterile areas of the airport to aid and abet criminals.
Absolutely, many criminals are getting away with even more shocking crimes at the airports through the conspiracy and connivance with the airport workers who are lured into such illegal deals with mouth watering cash deals.
It’s on record that some airport workers had in the past successfully assisted drug pushers to smuggle drugs into aircraft just for pecuniary gains.
While this is not the time for playing politics or whatever due to the latest development, the time has come for FAAN especially to review the bio data of its workers particularly those assigned to sensitive departments to ascertain their loyalty and patriotism to the authority.
Many of the workers who do not know the importance of their status as airport workers, are ignorant of the fact that an airport is the gateway to any country where visitors form their impression of that country. In other words, airport workers are like ambassadors.
It is however frightening to hear about the latest escapades of the six FAAN workers.
Before reviewing the underground bio data of the workers manning the sensitive axis of the airports, there is also the need to probe what could be responsible for their compromising status as there are still many of such workers moving freely in FAAN and other agencies. Among questions to be asked include if their salaries were not commensurate with their work.
Above all, FAAN and other stakeholders in the sector should henceforth, take more seriously the background bio data of any staff they want to engage. Sincerely, there is hunger and frustration in the land and it will only take the grace of God for most people to overcome temptation.
Henceforth, emphasis should be placed on the background profiles of anyone to be employed including their professional and religious backgrounds which may play a critical role in the safety and security of lives and even that of the airport.
The need to take urgent precaution becomes pertinent as an airport worker that can assist an outsider to smuggle raw gold or drugs out of the airport may become a willing tool in the hands of any terrorist nursing any deadly attack on his/her target at the airport with little cash.