Before I begin this week’s commentary, please permit a slight detour. The United States, Britain and France have been a huge disappointment when it comes to the issue of ensuring a lasting peace and durable security between the Israelis and the Palestinians. What’s more, much of the world’s capitals seem not to know what to do as many either do not want to offend powerful members of the UN Security Council; or are toothless and perhaps, indifferent, to the sufferings and deaths that have come to characterise that part of the world – a world where belligerence and massacre are yearly becoming the norm.
Whether or not a ceasefire is obtained today or the day after in the Middle East, the crisis will flare up again and again until the Europeans and Americans do what is right, which is to impose and implement the only sensible, rationale and practical solution: Grant the Palestinians a complete and independent state of their own. Nothing else will suffice! And I mean nothing – unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a grand illusion.
He knows, or ought to have known, that no one can ever eliminate Palestinian nationalism and resistance. They are too politically conscious to accept any form of colonialism and or apartheid. It will never happen. And so even if the Israeli Defence Forces, along with the Aman (military intelligence) and Shin Bet (internal security), and the Mossad are ordered by Netanyahu to exterminate the leadership of Hamas, or to engage in general genocide, the spirit of resistance and insurgency will continue. Whether Netanyahu kills off 50 or 5,000 Hamas and non-Hamas members, the crisis will continue – even if sporadically!
In the end, therefore, only independence and complete autonomy would suffice – not diplomatic niceties and promises of negotiations and financial aid that will not lead to emancipation or fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians. No one and no people should have to put up with humiliation! Therefore, the international community should reject all proposals that call for peace talks and road maps without the power and the political will to end the suffering and colonisation of a people that should have been granted complete autonomy five or more decades ago.
Now, back to the topic I had originally intended. In the last couple of years – and especially since the audacity and ferocity of Boko Haram became more pronounced and deadly, national security has assumed a new dimension and urgency. While many of us and the government focus on the Islamic sect’s bombing sprees, we have generally overlooked other aspects of our lives one would consider weak or soft targets i.e. airports. Within two days of my arrival into the country, I have passed through three airports during which I observed some indefensible security breaches.
That the three airports – Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the domestic terminal of the MMIA – are eyesores is not what concerns me the most. What bothers me the most are the two or more dozen security lapses I witnessed at these airports. I have been to and or made use of dozens of airports around the world; but nothing compares to what I witnessed in Lagos and Abuja. These, for lack of a more appropriate word, are disasters waiting to happen. And they sure will happen soon unless of course there are changes made to how our airports are managed and operated.
My major concern here is the implications of these lapses on our nation’s security. We must not only protect our sovereignty against domestic and foreign terrorists and criminal entities, we must also protect against those who wish or are intent on breaching our borders. Furthermore, we must protect ourselves against foreign security and intelligence agencies who spy on us on a daily basis. It is not as if Nigeria is a difficult country to spy on, nonetheless, we need not make such ventures easy for foreign entities. Security, then, must be at the top of our national priority.
That said, even the very best of airports around the world have occasional security lapses. And that is because no security plan is one hundred per cent fail-safe; none is without loopholes. But, these airports are very good at striving for the best in terms of safety and security. But not so in Nigeria where the security gaps are as wide as the Indian Ocean. Hyperbolism aside, if any Boko Haram insurgent or any determined person wanted to, he could walk up to any plane and blow it up. For N5,000 or less in bribe, weapons of mass destruction could be smuggled unto any plane in any of the airports in question.
Hijacking any number of planes wouldn’t be a Herculean task for a fairly well-trained terrorist or criminal. The fact is that all our airports and the planes and their passengers are sitting ducks, easy targets. You’ll be amazed at how many passengers – or supposed passengers – have unrestricted access to planes. Frankly, I am surprised that Boko Haram has not targeted our planes; surprised too that its members have not breached the perimeters of any of our airports.
In addition to the aforementioned, virtually anybody could smuggle into the country any item they wanted. Far too many of our immigration and customs officials are just too willing to look the other way at the sight or promise of naira or dollars. Far too many of them stand around, lazing around or goofing around or are just concerned with their daily take-home. (I know I stand the risk of being targeted by government officials at our airports and other borders; nonetheless, it is a price I am willing to pay.)
It is not uncommon to witness government officials help friends and relatives abridge rules and regulations at the arrival and departure lounges and terminals. For a small fee, some checkers manning the X-ray machines will overlook prohibited items in your handbags, luggage and pockets. The unfortunate reality is that our land borders and seaports are as porous and poorly guarded as our airports. This, therefore, is one area of our national lives one would suggest that the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, along with other competent authorities, look into.
It is time for our airports and other borders to be rigorously tested for security lapses and breaches. Such mock-tests are not to be used as sacking or punitive exercise, but only as aid to strengthening our national security. The next time you make use of any of our airports, seaports or land borders, please pay attention to lapses you witness and report your findings to me.
