FG to install facial recognition in airports

The Federal Government has disclosed plans to install facial recognition technology at major Airports in the country.

In a statement yesterday, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, said airports would soon be operating an automatic security measure that would incorporate the use of technology to improve security around Airports and easily detect impostors.

Speaking during a visit by the Japanese Ambassador in Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, Agba said that the technology would be procured through grant agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Japanese Government with a focus on Lagos and Abuja International Airports in the pilot phase before the project would be extended to Port Harcourt, Enugu and Kano Airport.

The Minister disclosed that as part of the pre-requisites for the processing of the Facial Recognition Technology, he would be leading the Ambassador and the team on a site survey visit to Lagos and Abuja Airports for necessary assessments.

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“I am happy that the series of meetings, which began in January this year in Tokyo on this project, aimed at recognizing faces of persons who pass through our international airports has started to yield results.  This, we believe, would further strengthen the security of our people and the country as a whole. This project was conceived in view of several security concerns among Nigerians and the need to nip these growing concerns in the bud”

On his part, Kazuyoshi explained that the use of advanced technology like the facial recognition system would ensure that security threats were reduced in and around Nigeria Airports.

“The initiative will further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and encourage more investment opportunities in different sectors of the economy. Similar projects have been implemented in Nairobi and Kenya which have changed the security narratives there.”

He stated that the security solution works through image capturing techniques, Neo Face Watch Logging in, live view, widgets and dashboard, face Search and image manager and basic configuration, among others.

He further called on the Nigeria Police Force and the country’s immigration services to embrace the initiative as it would automate most of their operations and ease day to day security checks in the Airports.