Cargo agents operating at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, the Director-General of Civil Aviation, and other relevant authorities over a decision by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
In their joint petition, obtained by our correspondent, the agents alleged that FAAN threatened to demolish their secretariat at the airport as a means of pressuring them following their rejection of the new tariff regime.
The cargo operators, working under the umbrellas of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics, and the National Association of Freight Forwarders and Consolidators, maintained that the planned demolition violated agreements reached with FAAN approximately 15 years ago regarding construction and occupation of the secretariats.
The dispute escalated after FAAN announced a review of cargo charges and issued a notice for agents to vacate their operational base at the airport. The authority’s new tariff increases rates from N7 per kilogramme to N25 per kilogramme across all FAAN-controlled airports nationwide.
According to the agents, the increase contravenes International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines, which require extensive stakeholder consultation and consensus before any aviation charges or levies are implemented.
In a separate letter titled “Immediate Notice to Quit MMA Premises”, dated January 27, 2026, FAAN notified the associations of its intention to demolish the structures. The letter, referenced FAAN/MMA/RGM/HCT.A/14/Vol. 9 and signed by the Airport Manager and Regional General Manager (South West), Olatokunbo Arewa, instructed the agents to vacate immediately, citing non-compliance with an earlier directive allegedly issued on April 30, 2025.
The notice reads in part, “The authority directed that you vacate the premises currently occupied by you. You have failed to comply with the directive. Accordingly, by this notice, you are required to vacate the said premises with immediate effect, failing which the authority shall proceed to enforce compliance without further notice.”
The cargo agents rejected FAAN’s position, insisting the demolition threat was punitive and a retaliation for opposing the new charges. They also accused FAAN of refusing meaningful dialogue.
In a letter signed by Temitope Akindele (ANLCA), Udo Udoka (NAGAFF), Quadri Olorunfunmi (APFFLON), and Abu Abdul (NAFFAC), the associations disclosed that a formal request to meet with FAAN’s Directorate of Cargo Development and Services on January 30 was declined through a telephone call.
“This approach negates the spirit of peaceful coexistence and undermines the principles of official business conduct,” the letter stated, urging FAAN to suspend the tariff implementation to avoid disruptions.
The petitioners said they had also formally notified the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command; Airport Military Command; Customs Area Comptroller; Manufacturers Association of Nigeria; Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, among others.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Segun Musa, Deputy President of NAGAFF, dismissed FAAN’s claim of “illegal occupation.”
“What we are seeing now is an attempt to use executive fiat to dislodge us without fulfilling that agreement. There is nothing illegal about our stay here. FAAN knows that to operate as a cargo agent within an airport, there must be a cargo village. They were supposed to provide an alternative location, which they have failed to do, yet they are issuing ultimatums,” Musa said.
He further alleged that the demolition threat was aimed at forcing compliance with the revised tariff.
Efforts to obtain FAAN’s comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, were not answered.
