Abuja airport’s e-gates ready for inauguration, says FG

The federal government says the electronic gates (e-gates) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja are almost 100 percent ready for inauguration.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, spoke after inspecting the terminal at the airport on Friday.

“The Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja is already 100 percent complete but this is just one terminal of about eight gates. This is delivered and ready for commissioning. Lagos has three wings. This is Terminal 2. We have the D and E wing,” the minister said.

“Now you see that the gates have been installed. What they are doing now is called the user acceptance test (UAT) which is the last stage and by Monday morning, this wing will have been completed 100 percent.

“As it is, it is already installed. So, we just need to align the sensor. From here, we will move the D Wing which has four gates because we can’t block the three entrances at the same time. 

“We can’t work simultaneously because of the ease of passengers. So, we have to be taking one after the other. 

“The assurance we have is that by next weekend, the D Wing will have been fully completed. We will then be left with the E wing which has eight gates. 

“This may take us another maximum of two weeks. In the next three weeks from now, Lagos will be 100 percent good to go.”

Tunji-Ojo also said as soon as the government is done with Lagos, other airports like Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt which each have four gates will be attended to.

“This will be faster. Lagos airport alone has 21 gates. Lagos is where you have the major traffic,” he added.

The minister further said the projects were important as the electronic fares would add to the enhancement of national security.

“This is connected to all the databases all over the world. We are making life easier for Nigeria and at the same time securing the country,”  Tunji-Ojo said.

“The passengers get more comfortable and it’s more convenient but at the same time, the nation is secured.

“Secondly, ease of doing business. It also helps with the perception of the government. When you travel to New York and you get to JFK, as a foreigner, you are in the queue. The American carries his passport and goes in easily.

“That gives him lots of confidence that he is in his country. This is called sweet experience and this president is bent on giving Nigerians the sweet experience. It is about changing the narrative and telling us that things we see in other places can work in Nigeria. 

Tunji-Ojo also said the projects are funded by a public-private partnership (PPP) to ensure border control management solution is being deployed.