At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, recently oversaw a trial of the newly installed electronic gates (e-gates).
During an inspection of the facilities on Friday, the minister announced that the installation is almost complete at 99%, with plans to commence operations of the e-gates by the following week.
In his address to the press, he emphasized that the e-gates are being introduced to eliminate manual processes, streamline passenger movements, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies within the airport.
He revealed that a total of 29 e-gates will be deployed in Lagos, with additional installations in Enugu (4), Kano (4), and Port-Harcourt (5).
Equipped with state-of-the-art scanning capabilities, the e-gates are designed to expedite the arrival process for passengers entering the country through the airports, minimizing delays.
The minister highlighted that rigorous tests have been conducted on the Airport Infrastructure, Command and Control Centers, with a strict validation process for passports to enhance security measures.
He expressed confidence in the new infrastructure’s ability to fortify security protocols and ensure a seamless flow of passenger movements as part of the government’s commitment to enhancing efficiency.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the introduction of e-gates will eradicate unnecessary delays caused by manual passport checks, transforming the passenger experience upon entry into Nigeria.
Furthermore, he underscored the importance of enhancing the country’s national security framework by implementing additional layers of license verifications to identify individuals of interest or those flagged on watchlists.