BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday cautioned Amnesty International (AI), against casting itself in the league of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.
Mohammed specifically asked Amnesty International to stop the practice of constantly attacking the Nigerian military and casting them as the bad guys, when all they are doing is putting their lives on the line to fight terrorists who have no respect for the sanctity of life.
Mohammed, who stated these while briefing journalists in Abuja, noted that Amnesty International usually leave terrorists, who willfully go after women and children, attack houses of worship without respect or allegiance to any religion to attack the military.
He accused Amnesty International of providing succour for terrorists by attributing their atrocities to Nigerian troops, stressing that the nation’s soldiers, who are defending the country, are guided by extant rules of engagement and operational codes of conduct.
Mohammed said; “They (Nigerian military) should not be made to look like the aggressors here. I am aware that the Federal Government has always taken seriously any allegation of rights violation by soldiers or other security forces. Investigations have been carried out and culprits, if any, punished. And it is a continuous process.”
The Minister commented on the diversion of some international flights billed for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, to other airports within and outside the country due to adverse weather
conditions at the airport.
Mohammed noted that the development led to a debate on the state of the navigational aids at the airport which he apologized to Nigerians and other travellers who had to endure inconveniences resulting from the diversion of their flights, saying it is highly regretted.
The Minister explained further; “In its commitment to passenger safety and security, the Federal Government has recently taken the decision to upgrade the navigational facilities at some major airports across the country. Consequently, the navigational aids at airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Asaba, etc. were all marked for an upgrade from Category II Instrument Landing System (CAT II ILS) to top-of-the-class CAT III ILS. In the first phase, the CAT III ILS was procured and installed in Lagos and Abuja.
“In addition, the government procured a calibration
aircraft instead of renting one each time for $500,000. Both Abuja and Lagos airports were calibrated. The CAT III ILS is working perfectly
here in Abuja. But after calibration, some incorrect readings were noticed in the CAT III ILS at the MMA. Just as it was about to be re-calibrated, the weather situation in Lagos changed for the worse, hence the disruption of international flights into Lagos.
“Some airlines opted to divert their flights to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, which, by the way, does not even have a CAT III ILS but where the weather was not as adverse as that in Lagos.
Many travellers bound for Nigeria became stranded,” Mohammed said.
He continued; “Again, this is much regretted. Of course, the same flights could have diverted to Abuja, which has a perfectly-functioning CAT III ILS and where flights to Lagos are regular. But they instead chose to fly to Accra.
“Some commentators have alleged that perhaps the CAT III ILS was not bought or installed in Lagos and Abuja. This is not true. The equipment was indeed procured and installed in both airports. But for the hitch I referred to earlier, there would have been no disruptions at the MMA. Accusation of ineptitude against aviation officials is misplaced. Otherwise, the Abuja CAT III ILS would not have been working perfectly now.
“May I also inform you all that a number of airports around the world, even in the advance world, don’t even have CAT III ILS. This is because they feel that because adverse weather is only for a short period in a year, they don’t feel that the kind of huge cost that is required to acquire it is justified.
“Even the Kotoka International Airport that most flights were diverted to does not have CAT III ILS.
NOTE: When the CAT III ILS in Lagos ran into a hitch, the CAT II ILS at the runway 18R (international runway) remained the only option. But
with CAT II ILS, pilots can only land their planes with a minimum visibility of 800 metres, compared to zero visibility for CAT III ILS.
“The weather phenomenon that reduced visibility at the International wing of the MMA is not unique to Nigeria. As some flights were being diverted from the Lagos airport, over 200 flights were either being
diverted or cancelled at Heathrow in London.”
The Minister announced that the two runways at the airport in Lagos have now been calibrated for CAT III ILS and NOTAM sent out.
