Airport Experience

How safe are our Airports in Nigeria? This question is prompted by what i observed at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos 3 months ago. As i remember today I am still very much appalled about the incident because I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that some Nigerians are so careless and Irresponsible that they don’t care about their safety or that of others.

A friend of mine who came from the US and was returning back to base. She pleaded with me to drop her off at the international Airport. But she wanted to confirm if some of her famiy members about 4 of them will be allowed into the departures. But because i read in the news that there was improved security survellance at the Airport. I told her that because of the security situation in the country , movement restrictions within the airport were actively enforced especially for non travellers and told her as matter of fact that the security personnels will not allow them to enter the departures with her. I even went as far as telling her that they had installed a baggage screening machines as an additional security measure at the entrance. Well my friend laughed and said “Nor be Naija? She told me there will always be a way

Lo and behold when we got there the security personnel manning the exit told her to pay N1000 per person to be allowed in. Trust her good bargaining power, she bargained for N200. To say I was shocked was an understatement because at the end of the day she negotiated for N1,000 for her entourage to enter and the Security officials gladly took the money and they were busy cracking jokes with her.

Do you know that, to further compromise the security situation, the baggage screening point was so rowdy, no proper coordination or any sign of alertness was observed. You can imagine how they mortgaged the safety of thousands of people in that airport that night for just N1,000.

God help us!

From Blog Visitor

Have you had any experience in our Airports or witnessed any drama?. Do share with us.

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