Edo State Government, in mid-western Nigeria, has secured 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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