Dare Babalola
The Federal Government has signed a concession agreement for the deployment of a contactless biometric passenger verification platform known as VPASS across the country’s domestic airports.
The move is aimed at strengthening aviation security, improving data integrity, and boosting revenue generation.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a post shared on Friday, noting that the agreement was executed on behalf of the Federal Government following the necessary regulatory approvals on Thursday.
According to him, the project had already received concurrence from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Attorney-General of the Federation, and final approval from the Federal Executive Council.
Keyamo explained that the VPASS initiative is designed to introduce a seamless biometric identity system for air travellers, eliminating inconsistencies often found in passenger data submitted by airlines and closing loopholes that enable identity manipulation or unauthorised boarding.
He stressed that the system will ensure proper identification of all domestic flight passengers in real time, thereby improving compliance with Standard Identification Procedures and enhancing overall aviation safety.
In his words, “Yesterday, I signed a concession agreement on behalf of the Federal Government for the deployment of a contactless biometric passenger verification system, known as VPASS, across Nigeria’s domestic airports as part of efforts to strengthen aviation security, enhance data integrity, and improve revenue generation.
“This came after the necessary concurrence of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Attorney-General of the Federation and the approval of the Federal Executive Council.”
He further noted that the initiative would address long-standing gaps in passenger verification systems and ensure a more transparent and reliable database for airline operations and regulatory oversight.
The VPASS deployment is expected to form part of broader aviation sector reforms under the current administration, with emphasis on digital transformation, security enhancement, and improved operational efficiency across airports nationwide.
