Following the security trends in Nigeria, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has tested the electronic gates (e-gates) mounted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to enhance national security through the airports.
Tunji-Ojo stated during his facility inspection on Friday that the installation is 99 percent complete and that the e-gates will be operational by next week.
The Interior Minister told the media that they were deploying the e-gates to do away with human interfaces, cut down on bureaucracy, and streamline passenger movement in and out of the nation.
He stated that Lagos would host 29 e-gates, Enugu and Kano would host four, and Port-Harcourt would host five.
Chronicle NG reports that the e-gates are equipped with modern facilities required to scan passengers coming into the country via the airports without the usual delay.
The minister said that the airport infrastructure and command and control centres have been subjected to different tests, with fake and expired passports rejected while genuine ones were cleared.
“With this massive infrastructure, we believe that no unwanted persons or persons of interest can find their way into Nigeria.
“Our security through the airports and in the airport domains is guaranteed.
“It is a testimony to what Mr. President told us from day one on his Renewed Hope Agenda. He asked us to change the narratives and make passenger movements in and out of the country seamless,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo further stated that the era of unnecessary delays for passengers who come into the country due to manual scanning by immigration officers would be a thing of the past by the time e-gates become functional.
The Interior Minister spoke of the need for the country to add another layer to its national security architecture by having about two or three licence verifications.
The additional licence verifications would enable relevant government agencies to easily flag persons of interest or those on the watch list, he said.
