Don't Miss

FG reopens MMIA cargo terminal after 14-day closure

By BusinessNews Staff on December 5, 2014

The Federal Government has reopened the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

A visit to the terminal by our correspondent on Wednesday showed that scanty activities had commenced after two weeks of closure.

People were seen going in and out of the terminal as against the previous days when there was heavy security presence at the access gate.

Sources told our correspondent that the order to reopen the warehouses was given by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullah, following a series of meetings held by various stakeholders.

A statement from the NAHCO Aviance on Wednesday confirmed that the warehouses had been reopened by the CG.

It added that he also undertook a tour of Nahco ultra-modern warehouse and the tarmac where several tonnes of cargo had piled up.

The statement noted that he regretted the action of those he described as touts who caused the warehouses to be closed, and explained that the statutory responsibilities of the Customs, which are revenue collection and the remittance to federation account, had been well spelt out.

He said, “We have to invoke the section of our laws that empowers us to take action against anybody who feels we should not do our duties as stipulated by the books and the constitution.

“I think a word is enough for the wise. The customs officers, Nahco aviance officials, clearing agents, law enforcement agencies and others should stand up and make sure that we do not betray the trust the Federal Government reposed on us.”

He commended the Chairman of Nahco, Mallam Suleiman Yahyah, for the resolution of the crisis.

The President, Association of Licensed Clearing Agents of Nigeria, Mr. Olayiwola Shittu, asked the law enforcement agencies to do more in checking touts from the airports.

[Punch]

headline