THE tension occasioned by the criminal acts of terrorists is adversely affecting business in the country, the Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Dr. Sam Oduselu, has said.Speaking in Lagos at the weekend at a seminar with theme 'The Air Transport Security in Nigeria: An Imperative for Safety,' Oduselu explained that the insecurity in the nation had become more palpable than ever before.According to him, 'bombs are exploding everywhere and terrorist groups are threatening more attacks. Tension is building by the day as a result of the dastardly acts of these terrorists. Aviation, by extension, is not isolated from this attendant fear of insecurity.'He reiterated that terrorism instills fear into the minds of travelling passengers, which scares them away from flying, stressing that for air transportation, it is like draining blood from a man when passengers are not flying.His words: 'Terrorism aims at the jugular of air travel business cannot be condoned. Safety is the cornerstone of aviation business without which it loses its value and appeal. Security is not only desirable in air travel but it is also its essential ingredient.'The threat of unlawful interference, he noted, drains the resources that could have been used to improve safety, including financial and time resources, just as it imposes pressure on operators and personnel.According to Oduselu, 'it induces multiple levels of security checks at the airports with the attendant stress on the travelling public. With that, air rage is bound to be on the increase. Terrorism impacts on aviation economics and safety with its undesirable consequences.The negative effects of terrorism on aviation are several and severe. This is not acceptable.'The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, stated that information is critical to fighting security threat, noting that in fighting airport's insider threat, it is important to establish mechanism for sharing information between the security department of airport tenants and that of the airport operator.'For instance, sharing information on disgruntled employees, employees under financial stress as well as those who frequently travel to terrorist hotspots, would enable more agencies to monitor such employees,' he said.Aisuebeogun noted that the airport functions as an amalgam of diverse firms, each with its unique institutional culture and model, warning that all airport tenants must therefore recognise and accept the existence of this threat with a view to working with the airport operator to fashion out coherent counter measures.
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