Nigeria: Minister Announces Radar Coverage for Lagos, Abuja Airports

Text of report by Nigerian NTA TV from Abuja on 25 January

The minister of state for air transportation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode, has announced that both the Lagos and Abuja airports now have radar coverage.

He however, explained that the radar coverage was limited to 65 nautical miles [104 km] for Lagos airport and 40 nautical miles [64 km] for Abuja airport. Chief Fani-Kayode, who disclosed this in Abuja on 25 January, while briefing newsmen, also said that 6.5bn naira [about 53m dollars] had been released for the total radar coverage of Nigeria within the next three months. The minister added that there were moves to install equipment that would monitor drugs, combustible materials, and money in all the airports. Muslima Shonibo has the report.

[Shonibo] The minister said the 24-hour radar coverage kicked off on 24 January night. He said the development marked a significant step towards achieving aviation safety and national security. With the development, according to him, it has become feasible for domestic aircraft to operate 24-hour services between Abuja and Lagos. Experts say the 24-hour radar coverage would expedite traffic and ease separation of aircraft. The minister also said by April, all aircraft operating within Nigeria must be equipped with Ground Proximity Warning System [GPWS]. He added that it was the lack of GPWS that caused the ill-fated Nigeria military plane crash of 17 September 2006 in Benue State [southeastern Nigeria].

[Fani-Kayode] This is one of the greatest achievements of the reforms in the aviation sector. This was started in 1978 when President Obasanjo was military president, but was abandoned by successive regimes. It will reduce the risk of mid-air collision to the barest minimum.

It would also reduce the radius of search and rescue operations from 100 miles to 20 miles.

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