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Government Orders Phone Firms to Dismantle Masts
Nigeria Created: 6 Nov 2007
THE presidency has asked mobile phone providers and other telecommunications outfit to immediately dismantle masts around airports across the country.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Aviation, Capt. Shehu Usman Iyal, at a meeting with the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) and aviation patastatals in Lagos on the recurring arrests of drug suspects at the airports, said the decision was informed by the need to ensure the safety of air passengers.

"The Presidency wants masts removed from airports' area, be it masts installed by MTN, Celtel, Globacom and others because of the need to guarantee the safety of passengers," Capt Iyal said.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has battled telecommunication companies without success over the same issue. On the frequent cases of arrest of drug peddlers at the nation's airports, Capt. Iyal said the development compelled the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to order the constitution of a committee to strengthen security at the airports.

According to him, the committee, which has six weeks to submit its recommendations, is to amongst others, examine clearance procedures of airlines' crew, engineers and even aviation parastatal staff to stem the tide of such calibre of staff exploiting the security situation at the airports.

He said the committee was also mandated to examine the procedure of screening passengers, cargo at airports and make recommendations that are implementable.

Capt. Iyal, who noted that transportation, especially aviation, was one of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's 7-points agenda, lamented the negative effects arrests of drug suspects at airports had done to the nation's image in the past few weeks.

According to him, Nigerian passengers are now being harassed with sniffer dogs at foreign airports.

Iyal solicited the support of airlines operating international flights in the country in government's efforts to tackle the menace, saying the federal government was determined to collaborate with them to check the menace.
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Source: AllAfrica.com, Kenneth Ehigiator, 06 Nov 2007

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