American TSA begins security audit on MMIA

A four-man team from, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), of the United States of America are currently in Nigeria carrying out Security Audit of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos. This is contained in a statement issued by the General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Sam Adurogboye, on Wednesday in Lagos.
The statement said the audit was in line with TSA security procedures and the team had met with the NCAA Director General, Capt. Muhtar Usman on Feb. 29. It said the team would in the course of the exercise observe the implementation of Aviation Security measures in place at the MMIA. According to the statement, they will exchange technical expertise in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 17 and International Aviation Security Standard and best Practices.
The statement said they would also conduct inspection on the implementation of TSA security procedures of Arik Airlines, being the only Nigerian carrier that operates direct flight to United States. It added that a similar audit would be carried out on Delta Airline and United Airline, who both currently operate flights in and out of Nigeria.
“Therefore, the outlined agenda for the five-day exercise will include the examination of Airport Operations and Standards, Quality Control, Access Control point at the Airport.
“It will also include measures relating to Aircraft Maintenance, Passenger and Baggage Screening, Cargo, Mailing and Catering Services etc.
“Other essential issues to be examined are Screening Equipment, Airport Contingency Plan (ACP) and Airport Security Programme (ASP),” the statement said. It said Usman thanked the TSA team for their visit and expressed the NCAA’s willingness to partner, co-operate and assist the team for the success of the exercise. “Security is a serious issue, and as a regulatory body, we give it much attention. Thus, security issues are resolved in a timely manner,” the statement quoted the NCAA boss as saying.