Hitches, chaos as automation of Lagos Airport Hajj/Cargo terminal begins

There was chaos at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos Hajj and Cargo terminal following the commencement of automation of the car park.

Stakeholders are expressing frustration over the development,  saying it was not good for ease of doing business.

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Daily Trust reports that the automation of the car park by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) took effect from Monday July 5, 2021.

The automation was part of aggressive revenue drive to shore up its non-aeronautical revenue and improve the Agency’s financial standing.

With the development, any vehicle accessing the terminal gates would pay a mandatory N500 but some stakeholders who work inside the terminal faulted the development.

But FAAN had clarified that all government agencies are being given E-tags free on submission of their staff list.

Similarly, all other stakeholders including the ground handling firms, logistics companies and others that have paid for the access gate (toll gate) are being given free, according to a FAAN official.

But some stakeholders said they were not well informed before the implementation of the automation.

“Something is not right with this method of revenue drive. It affects ease of business; it shows that somebody did not think through the implementation of this revenue-yielding project.

“With my office in that terminal, I’ll pay for 313 days to access my office, and I can’t even calculate the amount to cover my daily duty hours from 0800hours to 1700hours,” a stakeholder said.

Another stakeholder who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he spent more than two hours to access the Cargo terminal on Monday due to the long queue of vehicles trying to access the terminal.

When contacted, spokesperson of FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, said it was not true that the stakeholders were not properly informed.

“We are managing it. We are capturing every vehicle that comes in. Every vehicle must pay. Those complaining are probably those who are not paying. It is normal that people would want to resist it,” she added.