Lagos airport customs agents lament secretariat closure
Customs agents operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos are protesting the alleged closure of their secretariat by the airport’s commandant, Chioma Udo.
The agents, who are members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, claimed that the closure of the secretariat on February 5 was obstructing their daily operations and causing them significant losses, including a loss of revenue by the federal government to the tune of almost N500 billion.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro during separate interviews on Monday, the agents who acknowledged an internal crisis within the association noted that a court had restrained all parties with an order that the status quo should remain.
A member of Febak Olympic Global Services Limited, Olufemi Kayode, said the secretariat was however locked despite the order.
“We are using this medium to appeal to the commandant to open our secretariat. There is an internal crisis within the association and the MMAC executives had approached the court considering the security and sensitivity of the airport environment. A court order therefore restrained all parties from taking action and that status quo should remain. But despite this, the commandant locked up the association’s secretariat despite this order,” Kayode disclosed.
Another agent, Makinde Aremu, of Marktouch Shipping Agencies Limited, said efforts made to appeal to the commandant proved abortive.
He added that the closure might lead to violence while calling for respect for the rule of law.
He said, “All efforts to make her see reasons not to adjudicate on this matter proved abortive. The association’s matter had lasted more than two years without a crisis, violence or breakdown of law and order.
“Locking up the association’s offices and secretariat may degenerate to violence that we have managed to avert to date because members’ patience is fast running out. For instance, we could not collate and moderate members registration for the ongoing FAAN registration and data capturing hence our outcry.”
The owner of Bestdestiny Express Logistics and Allied Services Limited, Nwokoma Ohuoba, lamented that the closure had grossly affected the operations of revenue generation to the Federal Government through customs.
He specifically noted that the customs airport operations had lost almost N500bn in revenue.
He said, “As the association is one the major stakeholders for the revenue generation by the Nigeria custom licensed agents, this has grossly affected the operations of revenue generation to the Federal Government through customs and also affected members welfare and revenue too.
“The Federal Government within this period through the customs airport revenue operations has lost almost N500bn worth of revenue and the association revenue is also in the red as a result of the locking up the secretariat.”
When PUNCH Metro contacted Udo, she said the reopening of the secretariat was dependent on the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.
She said, “I hope they told you that the facility they are using belongs to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria. Did they also let you know that the resolution of reopening that place is dependent on the FAAN MD? If you want to get more reaction, come to my office.”
