Nigeria achieves success in aviation security-- Minister

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, says Nigeria has achieved 96.4 percent improvement in aviation security after a series of screening and checks conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Sirika, who said this yesterday while speaking to State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, said Nigeria was certified alongside 15 other countries after a worldwide survey on security by the ICAO.

“Today Nigeria has shifted from where it was in aviation security because we have scored 96.4 percent. I have just seen the President and delivered to him something that we are very proud of as Nigerians; a certificate for improved security in civil aviation.

“Civil aviation is about safety and security, how very safe and secure you depart a point and land at the other point. At the time the current President took over we were very marginally scored in terms of security and safety.”

“ICAO, which is the having the statutory responsibility of monitoring, policing or regulating the world of aviation and setting standards, took a survey of 193 member countries of ICAO form among which 16 were found to have improved security in their aviation system tremendously and gladly, Nigeria was one of those 16 countries.

“Our score from the audit of ICAO was 96.4 percent, a remarkable improvement from a country that was scoring less than 50 percent in the past. Today, form the approvals we got form our President, his guidance and counselling, we have been able to raise that to 96 percent, which is near perfect and in recognition of that, the country Nigeria received a certificate in Montreal Canada during the General Assembly of ICAO and we are proud to announce that,” he said.