NCAA declares airports safe as train services stop

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority assured passengers of their safety at the airports and smooth airline operations as the hunger protests continue nationwide.

However, train services were suspended on Thursday as a precautionary measure against damages at train stations, particularly on the Abuja-Kaduna route.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, insisted that there was adequate security at the airports while speaking on the situation at the facilities.

“Security is okay at the airport. I’m currently talking to you from the airport. I’m going around on a path-finding with my team. We just left local, we are headed to international. Everything is going on smoothly,” Achimugu stated.

He noted that “security is tight. Security agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Aviation Security and NCAA made adequate preparations and planning before today. So we are assuring passengers of security so long as the airlines are operating.”

However, Achimugu noted that two domestic airlines, Overland and Valuejet, announced that they would not be operating for the day.

“One or two domestic airlines have announced to their passengers that they will not be operating today. Overland and Valuejet are not operating today. All other flights have been on schedule and everything is under control,” he explained.

The reasons behind their non-operation remain unclear but are speculated to be related to the protests or other factors.

In contrast, train services have faced more significant disruptions. The Operations Manager at Idu Train Station, Abdul Azeez, confirmed the halt in train operations, citing security concerns.

“To the best of my knowledge, we are not operating today. The security officers are on the ground. You only know where you are starting from. You don’t know where you are going to end up,” Azeez stated, underscoring the unpredictable nature of the situation.

The suspension affects not only the Nigerian Railway Corporation but also the metro services, reflecting the widespread impact of the current unrest.

“The train doesn’t start from Abuja alone. It passes through a lot of states. Even the metro is not working,” Azeez noted.

Meanwhile, it was observed that passengers of different airlines trooped to the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos early to avoid possible violence that might erupt as a result of the protest.

Passengers scheduled to fly later in the morning, afternoon, and evening arrived at the airport terminal very early.

While the airport environment appears empty with vehicles barely moving inside the airport, the airport terminals at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, and General Aviation Terminal were filled with many air passengers sitting quietly and awaiting their scheduled flight times.

Findings showed that airlines operated their flights, while a few had to cancel their flights for different reasons ranging from weather and impact of the protest.

For instance, Air Peace canceled its Kano and Ibadan flights, while Value Jet delayed one of its flights on the domestic route. Air Peace also delayed its Benin flight because of the weather.

Some of the passengers in different terminals were seen dosing off as many of them arrived at the airports before 6:00 am on Thursday.

A couple who were seen sleeping on a seat at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, told our correspondent that they had travelled from Benin with the plan to be off the road before the protesters commenced their street demonstration.

The husband, Obiora Kenneth, said “We left Edo State around past 4:00 am this morning on a chattered vehicle and that was just to beat the possible crisis that may erupt from the protest today. Our flight is in the evening but we should be here early than to miss our flight over the protest.”