Lagos Airport Car Park: ICRC Intervenes, Insists on Safety of Vehicles
- Efforts are being made to ensure that incidences of vehicle vandalism at the car park of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos do not occur again
- The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission is leading the efforts to ensure the safety of cars parked in the area
- The commission used the opportunity of its visit to the facility to canvass for a technology that deploys smart cameras to the area
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Lagos - Following recent media reports on the incidence of vehicle vandalism at the car park of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, the management of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has visited the multi-level parking facility.
The team, led by its Acting Director-General Mr. Michael Ohiani visited the facility which was described in some reports as ‘a den of thieves’ in view of three alleged incidents that took place in the car park during the last week of December 2021.
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A statement sent to Legit.ng by Manji Yarling, head of media and publicity in the ICRC, noted that the visit was a joint monitoring inspection by the commission and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to assess the safety situation of vehicles parked by the general public.
Mr. Sadiku Abdulkadir Rafindadi, Director of Commercial and Business Development, led the FAAN delegation on behalf of the Managing Director, Capt. Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu.
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Under the aegis of the presidency, the ICRC, which has as part of its responsibilities, ensuring regulatory compliance in all Public Private Partnership (PPP) transactions, undertook the visit for a first-hand assessment and to seek solutions.
However, the visit to the facility revealed that only one incident had been reported, in which case the victim, whose Lexus GX 460 was vandalized, had been compensated and the missing vehicle accessories replaced.
Ohiani who was taken on a tour of the multi-level parking facility by the concessionaire Seymour Aviation Limited stressed that because car parking service was the primary service being provided by the concessionaire at a fee, vehicles could not be said to be ‘Parked at Owners’ Risk’, as claimed.
His words:
“If I park my car it is not at my own risk, provided I pay – if I come here and I park and I do not pay, it is a different ball game.
“I am very happy to know that you have an active insurance policy.”
The commission used the opportunity to advise the concessionaire on investing in the Parking Guidance System, a technology where car owners upon making payment, are allotted specific slots on a particular floor with the assistance of smart cameras.
He charged the airport authority as well as the concessionaire to expand the CCTV camera coverage to cover blind spots, and also increase the number of persons on physical surveillance.
Responding to questions from the ICRC Ag. DG, the representative of FAAN, Rafindadi, said that some of the news or stories peddled about the airport were not a true reflection of the situation on ground.
He said following the incident, an emergency meeting was held and certain decisions reached to curb future occurrences.
Some of the recommendations from the meeting included: the expansion of smart CCTV coverage at the car park to cover blind spots, a connection of the camera feeds to the MMA International Terminal 2 CCTV network, and improvement of physical surveillance as well as increasing the number of security personnel at the facility.
Other measures include intelligence sharing with airport security, prompt reportage of incidents at the car park, addressing other pending cases of vehicle vandalism among others.
FAAN moves against corrupt officials in Lagos, Abuja
FAAN recently announced that it has apprehended 90 staff in Lagos and Abuja airports for various corrupt practices.
The airport authority said those arrested were involved in shady deals as well as aiding passengers with fake COVID-19 test results.
They were also accused of giving unauthorized yellow cards for those traveling, cheating travellers under the guise of helping them with their boarding passes and acting as middlemen between passengers and airlines.
FAAN sanctions security operatives for alleged extortion
Recall that in December 2021, FAAN threatened to sanction security agencies including heads of military and paramilitary organisations at the Lagos airport over alleged extortion.
FAAN disclosed that no fewer than six staff of various security agencies were caught on camera extorting air travellers.
FAAN boss, Capt. Yadudu said the authority would forward the details of indicted security officers to their various headquarters, while also alerting the Office of the National Security Adviser for appropriate action.
Source: Legit.ng
