SaharaReporters gathered that despite being the only functional patrol vehicle in the facility, it is not in good shape.
Almost two months after the embarrassing theft of runway lighting systems at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos was detected, the airport still relies on one patrol vehicle for the facility.
SaharaReporters gathered that despite being the only functional patrol vehicle in the facility, it is not in good shape.
SaharaReporters had reported that airfield lighting systems at the domestic runway 18/36L of Murtala Muhammed Airport were stolen, causing a national embarrassment.
The lighting systems which were installed in November 2022 enabled planes to use the runway at night.
SaharaReporters learnt that the theft was discovered on May 20, 2023, weeks after rehabilitation work started on the runway, causing its closure for over three months.
A source at the airport blamed a "syndicate" of workers at the airport along with "accomplices from outside" for a series of thefts at the facility.
The thieves managed to remove substantial components undetected, which has been blamed on potential internal sabotage.
The dense surrounding forest also offers ample cover, sources had said.
It’s been noted that the incident was not the first theft at the Lagos airport. Prior incidents, including the theft of navigational equipment by workers of a FAAN sister agency, point to a systemic issue with security breaches.
FAAN staff members, who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity, revealed that the Lagos airport was grossly understaffed even though the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, employed close to 1,500 staff within his tenure.
Sources on Sunday also told SaharaReporters that eight vehicles meant for operation at the airport were not functional.
Eight vehicles are currently out of service and unserviceable; they can’t be used. They are parked at the workshop.
“These are Micra O1, Micra O2, Toyota 03, Hilux 216, Hilux 130, Hilux 965, Hilux 148, and Innoson 346. The lighting systems they stole from the airport runway can be taken to another airport to be used there.
“There is only one patrol vehicle working currently and it is not in good shape. It has the problem of oil shortage so every now and then or after some kilometres, they have to add some engine oil.
“Airport managers or any person who chooses to spend money to fix some of the issues are not refunded by FAAN. I know someone who said he cannot continue to buy oil because he was not refunded for the ones he bought.
“There are two Corolla cars for escort and receiving but they are the right kind of vehicles to use for that. They are also in bad shape. Vehicles used for escort and receiving in airports around the world are powerful and heavy vehicles that are low like Ferrari. They should give us new patrol vehicles.
“At least, the airport should have eight patrol vehicles for efficient patrol. The local terminal has no patrol vehicle. The only functional vehicle is the international airport. The perimeter fence is porous yet we make money in dollars,” one of the sources said.
Managing Director Of FAAN Reacts
But when SaharaReporters contacted the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, he admitted that his investigation showed there was only one functional patrol vehicle at the airport, but blamed the airport manager for the situation.
Mohammed said, “Who runs the airport? The airport manager runs the airport. I was an airport manager for 14 months; the headquarters didn’t repair patrol vehicles for me. It is the responsible of the manager to repair them.
“So if at a particular point in time, the vehicles are bad, is it the responsibility of the FAAN MD to repair them for him? Every month, the airport gets maintenance allocation which the airport manager is supposed to use to maintain his vehicles. As I speak to you, six vehicles out of his operational vehicles have been identified to be grounded and not working. Is it me at the headquarters at the MD’s level that will go and repair vehicles for him? The answer is a definite no.
“Yes, as you may have confirmed, the aviation security probably has only one vehicle they are using as of today but the airport chief of security who is in charge of security has a vehicle attached to him. The airport manager has a vehicle attached to him. Aviation security vehicles have broken down and they have only one that is operational.
“So while I am not disputing that their vehicles have broken down, please you be the judge, is it the Managing Director that is supposed to go to the airport and repair them? And is it that they don’t have the funds? Every month, they get maintenance allocation for the maintenance of vehicles and other things inside their airports.”
When asked why no action was taken if the airport manager was considered to be incompetent, Mohammed said, “Till you get into the airport and see something wrong, that is when you take the action.
“And when you take the action, the people now say you are being biased because you didn’t do so and so for them; that is why you are doing that. In your report, they said we suspended some aviation security officers to cover up. What do we want to cover up? Do we want to cover up that they did not do their work?
“Now as I speak with you today, from the headquarters, I have already asked people to go and investigate. The six vehicles that I told have broken down, they were not even the ones that brought the information to me. It is my own people that went to investigate and found out that those vehicles had broken down.
“I have asked them to take those vehicles out of the airport to Ladipo (auto market) to go and repair them. So as a regulatory body, I have done what I’m expected to do but also remember that it is not only their airport that I have to manage. But even at that knowing the importance of Lagos airport, I went ahead and did all the necessary things I was supposed to do.”
SaharaReporters had reported that various departments had made recommendations to the management of the airport but they were ignored.
For instance, in one of the memos to the management, the authorities were advised to reinforce openings at the Apron drainage canal and airside/landside boundary at Gate 9 with burglar-proof materials.
“One of the recommendations was that adequate attention should be given to vegetation control along the perimeter road and that holes in the perimeter fence should be blocked but nothing was done. They were also advised to apprehend those responsible for creating those problems, but that was also ignored.
“It was advised that they should replace missing metal rail protectors at Ejigbo Canal to enforce watertight security at the airport but nothing was done,” one of the sources had said.
A source close to the day-to-day running of the airport told SaharaReporters categorically that had the authorities heeded recommendations captured in several memos from different departments, "the issue of theft wouldn't have arisen or become a topic of discussion today".
For instance, the source said a department in one of the memos had recommended the implementation of vegetation control using herbicides.
In his reaction, the FAAN MD said, “Part of the things they mentioned is that they have vegetation - overgrown grass. It is like the same thing I said to you about the issue of patrol vehicles. Am I supposed to come from the headquarters and maintain the grass for them?
“Their allocation is also supposed to take care of grass management. They also mentioned some areas with manholes where they needed to put some iron bars and so on. They are all responsibilities of the airport manager.”
“Yes, as their supervisors, we supervise them to see that they do those things. And it was when that was done and they didn’t do their job that those things (runway lighting systems) were stolen. So I said ‘okay,’ since you guys didn’t do your job, to start with, let’s investigate it. And for us to investigate it, they had to give way first for the investigation to be carried out,” Mohammed added.
Last Thursday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Felix Akinbinu had been removed as the Regional General Manager for the Southwest at the Lagos airport.
Akinbinu was redeployed along with two others – Mrs Uguama Cecelia and Mr Ayodele Sunday.
An internal memo with Ref: FAAN/HQ/MD/19A/Vol.15/34 and dated July 12, 2023, obtained by SaharaReporters, disclosed the new postings of the three airport workers.
Akinbinu was moved to Regional Airport Services, Cecelia was moved from Regional Airport Services to Airfield Services while Ayodele Sunday was moved from Airfield Services to become the Regional General Manager for the Southwest.
The memo was signed by the FAAN MD, Mohammed.
Efforts made by SaharaReporters to reach Akinbinu were not successful. But sources in the airport said after he was deployed to the airport on May 5, 2023, he fixed some vehicles.
“After the case of theft was reported on May 20, there was a meeting on the 22nd and I learnt there was a meeting with the electrical staff who are directly involved too. But I cannot really say when exactly the lighting systems were stolen.
“Note that this particular runway itself was abandoned for about four months and whenever a runway is not in use, there is no way to power it. Had it been that the runway was powered, thieves would not even have had full access to cart away those items because there is a possibility of electrocution.
“On the issue of patrol vehicles, in May, all the patrol vehicles were grounded but he managed to repair some. Two were towed to a mechanic workshop five days ago,” one of the sources said.
“As for vegetation, there are certainly areas to be managed by the airport but because of the deforestation, it is usually done at the headquarters level. It is beyond the airport,” another source said.
When asked why the airport needs the headquarters to clear unwanted vegetation, the source said, “This is something that runs in millions of naira because the area covered by the airport managers are the operational areas but besides the operational areas, we have deep forest and jungle. That one, the airport deforests it from time to time; I know that is beyond the airport manager.”
"Some of us think that the FAAN MD just has a hatred for the airport manager and wanted an opportunity to get rid of him and no airport manager can succeed without the support of the FAAN MD. The man was at Port Harcourt Airport for years and he excelled there.
"We can't blame him for the theft of the lighting systems because it was discovered about two weeks after he resumed and the runway was not in use for months so it could have been stolen before his arrival. He had barely settled down as he first had to deal with the matter of lack of electricity as power had been cut off from the airport before he came. The airport owed a lot in electricity bills. So there are many complex issues here that some of us are aware of," the source added.