No fewer than 36 Cargo Operating Companies under the aegis of Domestic Airports Cargo Agents Association (DACAA), operating at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Saturday protested their illegal ejection.
The Operators, whose individual membership is about 2,000, said that they were still pleading with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to reconsider the 48-hours ultimatum given to them last Thursday when the ejection commenced.
Some of the operators were removing their goods from the area while others were dismantling their structures at the airport at the time of this report.
They said that they had a meeting with the FAAN management on Thursday where they were told to relocate because FAAN wanted to rehabilitate GAT in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.
“But we were surprised to have seen FAAN security officials ejecting us on Friday evening despite the fact that our rent had not expired and the ultimatum was very short,’’ they said.
FAAN should have complied with the agreement it reached with us at the meeting they held at the Terminal Manager’s office that DACAA would be relocated to another place around Concord Newspapers, they said.
“We share in the federal government’s agenda to transform our airports, but we should be carried along, they said.
“We have been operating at the airport for about 20 years and have applied to FAAN for recognition as specified by the concession policy and we have been paying our annual rent.
“Some of our members have just paid their rents for the next two years and with this eviction, how will they recoup their money.’’
Mr Emmanuel Odia , DACAA President expressed shock at the treatment by FAAN, saying that FAAN was realising its highest revenue from DACAA on daily basis.
“We pay N7 on every kilogramme of shipment we send out, and we are sending out about 40 tonnes of cargoes each day on the average.
“Each of the 36 cargo-operating companies registered by FAAN is paying N300,000.00 as registration fee and each of them is also spending another N40,000 to put their structures in place in line with FAAN specifications .
Mr Ade Ijale an operator said, `If the airports reforms should be done, it should not be to the detriment of some Nigerians eking their living from the airport.
Mr Odiaka Igbokwe, Senior Organising Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) also condemned FAAN’s force eviction of DACAA members.
He explained that DACCA as an affiliate of NUATE, was developing domestic cargoes in Nigeria and they were doing that effectively.
“ DACAA is one of the most viable sources of revenue generation for FAAN. The FAAN ought to have treated them with respect,’ he said
Igbokwe wondered why this eviction should hold on a weekend when most of the FAAN officials were not at work.
The FAAN General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Akin Olukunle, promised to contact the Terminal Manager for more clarifications on the issue.