More reforms are still coming out from the recent unscheduled visit of the Vice President to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja.
The latest is the new drive to eliminate illegal activities and touting at the Hajj and Cargo Terminal of the Lagos airport by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) following the setting up of a 34-member task force to sanitise the operations.
Currently, up to 17 organisations operate at the Hajj and Cargo terminal. Some of them are NAHCO, SAHCOL, DHL, Police, Customs, Nigeria Immigration Service, Department of State Services (DSS), Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Customs agents.
Others include Allied Air Cargo, Emirates, Air France/KLM, British Airways, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Port Health, Ethiopian Airlines and National Agency for Food Drug and Control (NAFDAC) among others.
FAAN has already notified all bodies to submit names of two members of staff as members of the committee.
The federal agency said the exit and entrance gates at the terminal would henceforth be opened for commercial activities from 7am while the gates are to be locked at 7pm as activities at the terminal has been restricted to 12 hours (7am-7pm) from the initial 24-hour period.
Terminal Manager, Hajj and Cargo, Mr. Asizehi Musa, said the essence of the taskforce was not to threaten any agency or operator, but to ensure sanity at the terminal, reduce touts and touting activities and make the nation’s airports in compliant with the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
Part of the new rules include that no truck would henceforth be allowed to spend the night at the terminal, adding that the management had over the years frowned at such practices.
