FG to install facial recognition technology at Airports

The Federal Government is set to install facial recognition technology at major Airports in Nigeria.

The Minister of  State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, stated this when he hosted the Japanese Ambassador in Nigeria,  Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, and a team from NEC Corporation of Japan at his office, in Abuja.

He affirmed that the airports would soon be operating automatic security measures that would incorporate the use of facial recognition technology to improve security around Airports and easily detect impostors.

The Minister of state said the technology would be deployed to Airports 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 Airports.

In his presentation on the project, the Japanese Ambassador, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, explained that the use of advanced technology like the facial recognition system would ensure that security threats are reduced in and around Nigeria Airports, strengthen the country’s security architecture and encourage more investment opportunities in different sectors of nations economy.

Kazuyoshi 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. (RN)