Edo State Government has started fulfilling its scholarship promise
by securing admission in one of the state’s top secondary schools for
13-year-old Daniel Oikhena, who stowed away in the wheel well of an Arik
Aircraft from Benin to Lagos on Saturday August 24, this year.
The State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole made this disclosure during the
visit of Mr George Uriesi, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority
of Nigeria (FAAN) and other FAAN Management team to him at the
Government House, Benin City, yesterday.
According to the Governor, “without meaning to encourage anyone else,
we decided to support him by sending him to one of the top secondary
schools in Edo State that is owned by the Government. The reason for
opting for a boarding school is that we think that there need to closely
watch him which his parents could not do.
“He is an intelligent young man with uncommon challenges, but one
that has a vision. We had him examined by people who should know and the
result confirmed that he is normal”, Oshiomhole noted.
“This incident was probably the kind of trigger that we needed to
improve the facilities at our Airports. You are never going to have all
the money you need to do all you have to do. You should start from
somewhere”, he noted.
Oshiomhole added, “it is also a security issue that we do not have
any runway security lights at the Benin Airport. It is a security issue
because a plane can take off and it is flying to Benin airspace and it
has mechanical faults and it cannot land.
“Politically, there could be an emergency in Edo State and the
President needed to visit and he cannot land at the airport at night.
You cannot spend the kind of money you are spending on remodeling and
the little one you have to do is to ice the cake and you have a complete
project. You should take this as something more urgent”, he added.
Earlier, Mr Uriesi said they were in Benin City for ground assessment
of the stowaway incident which has forced FAAN to review and improve on
its security arrangements.
He said: “we are responding to the incident of the stowaway of that
young boy a few weeks ago which was a big surprise to all of us.
“We want to inform you that we have taken strenuous measures to
ensure that a similar incident does not happen. It was serious and
miraculous event, because prior to that day, I would have told you it
was a death sentence. We are trying to create an awareness that this is a
death sentence and young people should not attempt it at all. The
likelihood of survival is slim.”
On the security arrangements put in place to check a recurrence,
Uriesi said FAAN plans to acquire security vehicles on take-off and
arrival of planes and that security teams made up of the Air force and
airport security will now patrol the airports.
He said “one of the negative things we inherited was that the
airports were not fenced, or some of them were fenced at the beginning
and the fences have fallen apart.
“We have a plan to fence the airport and it is an onerous task. The
smallest airport perimeter fence in the country is fourteen kilometers
and the biggest one is about 33 kilometers. Altogether it is about 500
kilometers. It is a huge capital outlay. We need to secure the airports.
“We also wish to enlighten the youths that they should not try it. This boy is a miracle boy”, he noted.
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