By SUMAYYAH ADEFAKA
Cargo agents at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, have petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other relevant security agencies and manufacturers’ associations over the planned demolition of their secretariats by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The newly reviewed cargo tariff is expected to commence today in all FAAN-controlled airports.
The affected cargo agents – the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics (APFFLON) and the National Association of Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC) – said that the planned exercise was in flagrant violation of the agreement the bodies had with FAAN on the construction of their various secretariats about 15 years ago.
They also linked the demolition to their rejection of FAAN’s plan to increase the cargo levy from N7 per kg to N25 per kg, in violation of the recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
ICAO’s recommendations stipulate that before any increment in charges or levies can be implemented in civil aviation, the respective agency or organisation must convene stakeholders’ meetings to discuss such increments, while the majority of affected parties must agree with the new regime.
FAAN, in a letter with the caption, ‘Immediate Notice to Quit MMA Premises,’ dated January 27, 2026, with reference number FAAN/ MMA/RGM/HCT.A/14/Vol. 9, signed by the Airport Manager and Regional General Manager (South-West), FAAN, Olatokunbo Arewa, gave notification of the demolition of the secretariats.
The letter also referenced April 30, 2025, as the first notice issued to the cargo agents on the issue.
The letter read 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. Ensure all persons and personal belongings are removed without delay.”
But the cargo agents alleged that the demolition threat was due to their rejection of the new cargo tariff imposed by FAAN on their business.
They also accused FAAN of avoiding a meeting with them to discuss and resolve the issue.
The associations, in a joint letter dated January 30, 2026, signed by their chairmen – Temitope Akindele (ANLCA), Udo Udoka (NAGAFF), Quadri Olorunfunmi (APFFLON) and Abu Abdul for NAFFAC – rejected the proposed increment.
The associations said that the ongoing discussions and negotiations with stakeholders within the cargo section of the aviation industry were supposed to provide a veritable avenue for a mutual agreement for all parties.
They said that in line with this principle, the associations had requested a meeting with the Directorate of Cargo, FAAN, on January 30, 2026, but regretted that the request was turned down by FAAN via “just a telephone conversation”.
The bodies insisted that this attitude from FAAN negated peaceful co-existence and undermined the principles of official business conduct.
The letter added: “We call on the Directorate of Cargo Development and Services to halt the implementation in view of the challenges that could develop as a result of this hurried decision.”
However, the agents have officially informed various security agencies, including the IGP, Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Airport Military Command, Customs Area Comptroller and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), of the planned demolition and increment of cargo charges by FAAN.
Others informed are the Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), among others.
Speaking with The Guardian over the weekend, one of the major cargo players in the industry, Dr Segun Musa, insisted that the planned demolition of their secretariats was in violation of the agreement the bodies had with FAAN.
According to Musa, FAAN had allocated the present secretariats to the associations involved, with a promise to provide a permanent place for them before they could be evicted from their present location.
He regretted that the present management of FAAN, led by Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, wanted to use fiat to remove them from their location without provision of an alternative, as agreed about 15 years ago.
He debunked FAAN’s claim of “illegal stay”, saying agreements were reached by both parties.
He said: “There is nothing like illegal stay as claimed by FAAN. FAAN allocated this place to us officially, pending when they will allocate a permanent place to us. We all know that before you can operate as a cargo agent within the airport, you need a cargo village.
“FAAN was supposed to provide an alternative to us, which they have not done, yet they are giving us an ultimatum to vacate this place.”
He attributed the threat to the rejection of the newly reviewed tariff by the agents.
