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| Minister Robert NKili |
The Minister of Transport has issued a communiqué to this effect
calling on all and sundry to abide by the laws in force.
With the recent threats to
insecurity witnessed in the country, the Minister of Transport, Robert Nkili,
has taken stringent measures relating to the reinforcement of security and
safety controls in every transport sector in the country. Although these measures
are already operational in the air, sea and train transport sectors, measures
are underway to fully implement it in road transport. Operators within the
sectors are thus looking for partners through whom they will purchase the
required equipment to implement the exceptional security measure.
Airport Measures
The usual control in all airports
in the country has been reinforced and aviation authorities have acquired new
materials to detect dangerous equipments carried by any passenger. These detectors
will automatically check passengers before they enter reserved zones in the
airport. Machines have also been bought to scan the luggage of all passengers
so as to detect bombs or any explosive chemical that may happen during a flight
The Inspector General at the Ministry of Transport, Zacharie Ngoumbe says these
security measures are exceptional, reason why they will be used on every
passenger, no matter his status in the society. Currently at the airport,
family members who come to accompany those travelling are not allowed to enter
the airport premises.
Maritime Transport
All goods passing through the
Douala, Limbe or Kribi seaports must be scanned with a newly acquired big
scanner. Before now, transport officers say goods use to be randomly scanned as
they reached any seaport. Within the exceptional measures, all goods that pass
through the seaport are individually scanned to know their content. If there is
doubt on the content of any good, that good will not leave the port. Zacharie
Ngoumbe says port premises are no longer market places. Defined areas have been
established for people to go through while carrying out transactions around the
seaport. Equally, seaports are no longer tourist zones, they are highly
secured.
Railway Transportation
The Inspector General at the
Ministry of Transport says the unique company involved in railway
transportation in the country has acquired testing and scanning materials to
check all persons using the railway. Camrail has committed itself to buy all
security equipment to avoid any insecurity incident on a train that can be
dangerous to passengers. Because railway travelers are not used to such
security checks, Zacharie Ngoumbe says it is within this backdrop that the
Minister of Transport in his communiqué called on everybody to collaborate as
far as these exceptional security measures are concerned. Luggage of those
using the railway system will also be scanned.
Land Transport
The registration of passengers is
systematic with all passengers identified with a legal document. All luggage
will not only be tagged but identified to their owners so that if there is any
incident, the source can be easily traced. Parcels that are transported through
such agencies will be henceforth identified by the name and contact of the
sender and that of the receiver. The Minister of Transport has also reiterated
that even if a driver must pick up a passenger along the road, it should be
somebody he personally knows and that person should be scanned with the mobile
scanning machines found in the vehicle. These security measures are applicable
to everyone.
By Brenda Y. NCHEWNANG-NGASSA
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