Idowu Samuel, Abuja IBADAN Airport may soon begin to enjoy a facelift following a resolution by the House of Representatives to attract the attention of the Federal Government to its poor standard and facilities.

The House took the decision at the close of legislative session last week, following a motion moved by Honourable Abiodun Awoleye representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency.

The Motion which was unanimously adopted called on the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria to give the airport a facelift, noting that since the airport was commissioned in 1983, it has not enjoyed any patronage from the federal government.

Presenting the motion, the lawmaker expressed dissatisfaction with lack of adequate facility at the airport, as according to him, most facilities so far installed were being run manually, even as the security system was run with very obsolete equipment.

According to him, the poor security arrangement at Ibadan Airport could easily be noticed when “luggages are manually examined by the law enforcement agents at the screening points,” just as he expressed worries that there had not been any functional x-ray machine to screen passengers and baggages.

He noted also that the weighing scale being used was obsolete, such that its reliability was always in doubt, adding, “there is no barrier whatsoever between the intending passengers and their relatives/escorts,” thereby leading to free communication and interaction between already checked-in passengers and their relatives.

The lawmakers also expressed concern that perpetrators of criminal acts could infiltrate the porous security at the Airport, thereby posing threat to the security of lives of about 400 passengers that travel through the airport everyday.

The motion expressed regrets that Ibadan Airport was not included in the list of five airports in Nigeria recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and slated to be upgraded. Thus urging the federal government to take urgent notice by making necessary amends.

Against this background, the House which approved the motion, urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to see to the security situation of the airport and the upgrading of the facilities.

The House also mandated the Committees on Appropriations and Aviation to ensure that the fund required for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Ibadan Airport is included in the 2012 budget.