The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has reactivated suspended total screening of incoming flights and passengers at all international airports following the recent outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo.
Spokeswoman of the federal agency, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said in an interview that the reactivation has become necessary to save the country form another danger. It would be recalled that the last Ebola experience in Nigeria entered the country through a Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer who flew in carrying the deadly virus.
However, checks on Tuesday at Lagos International Airport showed not well coordinated screening even as passengers were moving with ease.
Yakubu, had in a statement on Monday said FAAN was teaming up with the Federal Ministry of Health to reactivate all structures that it had earlier dismantled to combat the virus when it last occurred in the country in 2014.
According to her, “We want to assure passengers and airport users of safety at the nation’s airports as adequate measures have been put in place to checkmate the re-occurrence of any such outbreak in Nigeria through the country’s airports”.
“All measures adopted in 2014 to curtail the dreaded virus are very much in place and have been fortified. The Ebola screening points and detecting machines have been fully re-instated at the airports. FAAN is also collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health, through the Port Health Service to reactivate the Ebola Awareness and Sensitisation Campaign,” she added.
