For decades, Nigeria’s skies have carried millions of passengers who never touch its soil. Aircraft from the Americas, Europe and Asia routinely pass overhead, while Lagos, strategically positioned and naturally suited to be a global transit hub, watches opportunity fly by.
At the heart of this paradox lies a familiar problem: fragmented security systems that slow travel, inflate costs and discourage airlines and passengers alike.
At a recent aviation security forum organized by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island, experts converged on a bold solution, a one-stop-shop aviation security framework and framed it not just as a security reform, but as an economic turning point.
Leading the charge was aviation security expert and Decision Gates Limited CEO, Mr. Oluseyi Ogunleye, whose career includes overseeing airport security at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, one of the busiest in the world.
Drawing on that experience, Mr. Ogunleye described how a one-stop security arrangement between the United States and the United Kingdom transformed passenger flow by eliminating repeated screening for transit travellers.
The idea, he stressed, is deceptively simple: screen once, trust the process, and move on provided countries agree on harmonised standards, transparent audits and shared responsibility.
“One-stop security is not about lowering the bar,” Ogunleye said. “It is about raising it together.” Rather than imposing a rigid, one-size-fits-all model, he argued for systems tailored to specific threat environments, bound together by compliance and mutual confidence.
When high standards are linked to tangible economic rewards, faster connections, higher traffic and more revenue, countries are far more willing to embrace them.
That logic, he suggested, could finally unlock Africa’s stalled aviation liberalisation agenda.
The Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market promised seamless skies, yet progress has been halting, largely due to mistrust and reluctance to open borders.
The security expert believes one-stop security could become the practical catalyst for change, beginning with bilateral partnerships, Nigeria and Ghana, for instance and expanding into a truly integrated regional network.
Using Lagos as a case study, he painted a striking picture of what is being missed. With favourable wind patterns and geography, Nigeria is ideally placed as a hub linking four continents.
Diverting even a fraction of overflying traffic through Lagos, he estimated, could generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually and tens of thousands of jobs.
In that equation, security shifts from being seen as a cost centre to becoming an economic enabler — the gateway to trade, tourism and investment.
That gateway, however, rests on trust built through regulation. Mr. Olumide Osineye, General Manager for Security and Safety at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, stressed that one-stop security only works when states can confidently recognize each other’s screening outcomes.
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, particularly Annex 17, already permit exemptions from rescreening, but only where countries can demonstrate equivalent and consistently applied security measures.
Mr. Osineye noted that global adoption of one-stop security remains uneven, with the European Union standing out as proof that it can work over the long term.
He pointed to ICAO’s Universal Security Audit Programme as the credibility test, citing Kenya’s strong audit performance as an asset in negotiating mutual recognition agreements.
Beyond audits, he said, sustained peer reviews, standardized training, information sharing and continuous monitoring are essential to keeping the system credible and secure.
From an operational perspective, the promise of a one-stop-shop extends well beyond passenger screening.
Mrs. Nkechi Onyenso, Managing Director of Pathfinder International Limited, described it as a fully integrated ecosystem that brings together security, customs, immigration, cargo handling and regulators under a single collaborative framework.
When agencies stop working in silos, she said, airports can cut costs, deploy resources more intelligently and focus attention where risk truly lies.
The payoff is visible to travellers: shorter queues, fewer document checks and more predictable journeys. But the Pathfinder boss warned that public confidence must be carefully managed.
Streamlined processes, she said, should never be mistaken for weakened security. Transparency, communication and inter-agency trust are what allow efficiency and safety to coexist.
That trust, several panelists acknowledged, is Nigeria’s toughest hurdle.
Mr. Claud Batohi, Senior Vice President for Security at ALML Group, stressed that one-stop security demands shared ownership.
Regulators, airport authorities, airlines and border agencies must jointly define roles, standards and processes. Without that collective buy-in, the framework collapses under suspicion and resistance.
Infrastructure gaps and institutional inertia compound the challenge.
Mr. Anthony IdoKogi, ICAO-certified AVSEC instructor and Chief of Security at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, pointed to outdated terminal designs, rapidly aging equipment and a lingering reluctance among agencies to cede control. Add varying threat levels across regions, and mutual recognition becomes even harder to achieve.
Yet technology offers a way forward. Advanced screening systems powered by artificial intelligence, Batohi noted, are transforming aviation security worldwide, improving detection while speeding up processing.
These tools not only strengthen safety but also enhance passenger experience and boost airport revenues, making compliance and investment mutually reinforcing rather than competing goals.
By the end of the forum, a clear narrative had emerged. One-stop-shop security is not a shortcut; it is a long, demanding process built on audits, agreements and accountability.
But it is also a rare opportunity for Nigeria to lead rather than follow, to turn its airports into efficient, trusted gateways and its airspace into a true hub of global connectivity. As experts agreed, the skies are already open. What remains is the courage to secure them together.
Reporting By Nosa Aituamen