Business
FAAN set to transform domestic air travel with V-Pass facial recognition system
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is rolling out V-Pass, a biometric identity verification system designed to make domestic air travel faster, safer and more seamless.
Developed in partnership with M/S Verxid Technologies Limited, the system will let passengers confirm their identities through facial recognition, reducing the need to rely on physical ID documents at airports.
The rollout was reviewed during a strategic meeting between FAAN and Verxid Technologies Limited, where both sides discussed deployment plans, security measures and ways to improve the passenger experience.
FAAN said the initiative shows its commitment to using technology to improve passenger facilitation and aviation security across domestic airports. V-Pass will give travellers a secure digital identity through a one-time enrolment process.
Nigerian passengers will register with their NIN and facial biometric capture, while foreign passengers will enrol using international passports through OCR and biometric authentication. The system will check passengers before they enter restricted areas and again before boarding.
This dual-verification process is meant to prevent impersonation, unauthorized access and identity fraud, while giving security agencies greater confidence in passenger authentication. During rollout, passengers will be able to use self-service kiosks or get help from FAAN staff.
E-Gates will automate access to controlled areas, reduce queues and improve passenger flow. Developers say biometric processing will take less than 30 seconds after enrolment, while first-time registration will take about one minute. V-Pass will also give airlines secure access to flight schedules, passenger manifests and boarding statistics through a digital platform.
FAAN will benefit from a Central Management System that tracks passenger movement, generates analytics and supports future integration with other airport systems. FAAN and Verxid said data privacy remains central to the project.
READ ALSO: FAAN defends airport cab tariff hike amid protest against vehicle upgrade policy
The system complies with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), and passenger data will not be stored on kiosks or handheld devices. Before deployment, FAAN and Verxid plan to launch a nationwide sensitisation campaign.
The campaign will run across TV, radio, social media, airport announcements and airline advisories to help passengers understand how V-Pass works. A live Proof of Concept demonstration and technical site assessment will also be carried out before full rollout
FAAN says V-Pass is part of its broader digital transformation agenda. By combining biometric technology with modern access control, FAAN hopes to build a smarter, safer and more efficient airport system for domestic travellers.
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has appointed five new directors to its board as part of efforts to strengthen its operations and support the company’s growth and strategic direction.
The appointees include former Etisalat Nigeria executives, Ibrahim Dikko and Boye Olusanya, who were appointed as independent non-executive directors to the board of the telecommunication company.
The telco giant also appointed corporate governance expert Fabian Ajogwu, Imoni Akpofure and Lwazi Bam as non-executive directors.
The appointments, which take effect from 1 December were disclosed in a regulatory filing signed by the company’s secretary, Uto Ukpanah, on Tuesday.
MTN Nigeria said the new directors were expected to bring their experience and expertise to strengthen the telco giant’s operations.
“The new Directors are expected to bring their wealth of experience and expertise to enhance Board operations and contribute to the Company’s growth and future direction,” MTN Nigeria said.
Profiles
Mr Dikko brings more than three decades of experience spanning banking, telecommunications, information and communications technology, and regulatory advisory.
He served as chairman of First Securities Discount House Limited from 2002 to 2012 and was vice president of regulatory and corporate affairs at EMTS Limited, which operated as Etisalat Nigeria, from 2007 to 2017.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Buckingham and a Master of Laws degree from Queen Mary and Westfield College, and University of London.
Mr Dikko is a Fellow of the Society of Corporate Governance Nigeria and a Member of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria.
Boye Olusanya
Mr Olusanya, who currently leads FMN Holdings Limited, has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience across the fast-moving consumer goods, agriculture, telecommunications, technology, energy, infrastructure and financial services sectors.
He has led the strategic transformation of FMN Holdings into a vertically integrated, consumer-focused food and agro-industrial business.
MTN Nigeria said Mr Olusanya’s experience includes enterprise transformation, business restructuring, strategic acquisitions, operational turnaround and regional expansion.
Fabian Ajogwu
Mr Ajogwu is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and professor of corporate governance at Lagos Business School. He is also the senior partner at KENNA LP and has practised law for 35 years.
He assisted the Securities and Exchange Commission in drafting Nigeria’s first Code of Corporate Governance and served on the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria committee that worked on the National Code of Corporate Governance 2018.
Mr Ajogwu is also the founder of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria and has authored several books on corporate governance.
He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Aberdeen, an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona and law degrees from the University of Nigeria and the University of Lagos.
Imoni Akpofure
Ms Akpofure brings nearly three decades of experience in finance, infrastructure and sustainability, particularly across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Her career includes senior roles at the International Finance Corporation, CDC Group, now known as British International Investment, and KINA Advisory.
She currently serves on the boards of Africa50 and the Development Bank of Nigeria, where she brings experience in infrastructure investment, sustainable growth and corporate governance.
Lwazi Bam
Mr Bam joined MTN Group as group chief risk officer in June. Before joining the telecommunications group, he served as chief executive officer of Deloitte Africa and Deloitte Southern Africa from 2012 to 2022.
READ ALSO: Access Holdings’ nine-month profit jumps 6% to N474.2 billion
During his nearly three decades at Deloitte, he also served on the firm’s Global Executive Committee and advised organisations on mergers and acquisitions, strategy, governance and risk oversight.
Between 2022 and 2026, he served as a non-executive director on the boards of Standard Bank Group and Valterra Platinum. He currently serves on the boards of Woolworths Holdings Limited and ZEDA Limited.
Mr Bam is a chartered accountant in South Africa and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.
MTN Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest providers of communications services, connects over 94 million people in communities across the country.
Launched in 2001, the telco operates in 19 markets in Africa and the Middle East, serving over 300 million people.
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