Clearing agents and freight forwarders operating at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have appealed to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to re-open NAHCO and SAHCOL terminals it shut last week for “safety and security reasons”.
The clearing agents said that the refusal of Customs to re-open the warehouses on or before Friday (today) would cause more havoc in the airport sector.
Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Airport Chapter, Segun Musa told journalists on Wednesday at the airport that the association regretted the action that led to the closure of the warehouses, saying that several billions of naira had been lost to the crisis on the side of the agents, ground handlers and even government agencies.
Musa noted that since the crisis ensued last Wednesday, the clearing agents had met with the officials of Customs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), ground handlers and other relevat stakeholders to forestall future occurrence.
He emphasized that NAGAFF would use the current development to correct anomalies noticed in the system like the delay in cargo clearance, which according to him is mainly caused by inadequate manpower at the warehouses.
He said the leadership of NAGAFF would also ensure that the airport becomes user-friendly to in terms of crowd control and identification of its members.
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