•Special committee submits third interim report
The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has again pledged to turn around the fortunes of the aviation cargo business at nationwide airports.
Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, on the tour of the cargo facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, recently, identified challenges facing cargo export, though gave a firm commitment to dislodge bottlenecks.
The tour, which also included the presentation of the third interim report by the Aviation Cargo Roadmap Committee, was part of efforts to find sustainable solutions to the challenges of aviation cargo.
At the new Chinese Built Cargo Terminal, Yadudu pledged that with a few final touches, the terminal would become an example for the new vision of aviation cargo in Nigeria.
He said the new Cargo Terminals in Port Harcourt and Abuja would also come upstream, adding that with some minor amendments by the state government, the Sam Mbakwe Cargo facility would also be integrated.
While commending the aviation cargo committee, Yadudu promised his continuous support. He said: “We are happy with the work you have done, and still doing. The quality of membership is notable. At FAAN, we will look at the suggestions and start to implement those that can be implemented immediately, while we wait for your final report.
“We do not want an academic report. We all know the problems; we expect a strategy and steps to implement the report when you finally submit it. Please, see your efforts as a national project that helps not just aviation, but the whole nation.”
Yadudu further assured that FAAN would soon solve the five problems earlier identified by the committee. He said there would soon be a Multilevel Car Park to sanitise the cargo environment at Lagos Airport.
“Once FAAN resolves some minor issues, the Cargo Terminals will be open for 24 hours service. About sanitising the export and processing sections of the Cargo Terminals, FAAN will soon announce a policy for improved packaging and processing of exports, so that the export area will also look as clean and organised even better than the import area,” Yadudu said.
The coo`rdinator of the Aviation Cargo Roadmap Committee, Ikechi Uko, earlier presented the third monthly interim report for April.
In his presentation, Uko told FAAN that the committee earlier had a tour of the cargo facilities at the international section of Lagos Airport, but were not impressed with the conditions of the facilities, and identified five areas that needed to be resolved by FAAN to improve conditions of the area.
These include the export areas of both NAHCO and SAHCO that could be significantly improved based on the same organisations’ import areas. These export areas, he described as “disorganised, chaotic, unkempt, dirty, and rowdy”.
“The import areas looked like a modern Shopping mall, while the Export Zones looked like Aswani market or Oshodi markets on a market day,” Uko said.
The second is the improper and poor quality packaging of goods for export, also done inappropriately at the airport.
The third is the limited operating hours of the terminal, which is better operating 24 hours to maintain the efficient flow, based on the airport operating hours and the need for regulatory agencies to avail themselves, and reduce congestion during the active hours of airport operations.
The fourth points to the lack of facilities for exporters to package their goods having failed to do so at their facilities due to the need for inspections and certification. The fifth is the indiscriminate parking of vehicles around the terminals and airport.
The Aviation Cargo Roadmap Committee was instituted by FAAN to produce a guideline for the operation of the air cargo business in Nigeria. The aim is to make Nigeria the Number one hub for air cargo in Africa. Currently, Nigeria is number five in Africa, and far behind Kenya.
