FAAN Justifies Exorbitant Toll Collection At Airports

IN Nigeria, payment to access most airports is mandatory, even if it is to drop off passengers. This practice is most common in Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt, to mention but few airports. The Lagos airport presents a peculiar toll collection as motorists are made to pay to migrate between the local and international wing of the airport, contrary to the practice in many developed countries.

In these countries, motorists only pay when they drive beyond drop-off points to the car park. The money they pay is for their car park, and not to access the airport to drop off passengers or for any other businesses.

At Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria collects toll to allow vehicles access the airport for whatever reason, even if it is just to drop a passenger.

In Lagos, the FAAN collects toll at two different points. Toll is being collected to navigate between local and international airport and to access Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), a distance of less than 100 metres from the first tollgate.

The situation may have been affecting the growth of business, especially cargo handling services.

At Abuja airport, Mr. Johnson Lawson, said FAN collects between N200 and N300 from motorists, depending on the type of vehicle in use

“They charge us N200 whenever we are passing through the gate and no matter how many times you enter into the airport, you must pay the money. I want them to reduce the charges so that we can afford to pay. Some of us have decided not to come to the airport again because of the charges”, he said.

Some of the Lagos airport users have also expressed concern over the matter, as they complained about double toll collection by FAAN, saying it is affecting their businesses.
One of the airport user, Kingsley Abayomi, a customs clearing agent, said to access NAHCO from Ikeja, you will be compelled to pay double toll, one is between the local and international and the second to enable you have access into NAHCO proper. He said people who want to access NAHCO from Ikeja are most affected as they have to first pay at the main toll gate before paying at NAHCO gate a distance of less that 100 metres.

According to him, airport users have resigned to their own fate, after many years of complaints

“A lot of people have protested the double toll they are collecting, but there is nothing they can do. We are only pleading with the incoming government to use their own initiative to see how they can reduce the fees we pay at the tollgates, because a lot of us are suffering here,” he said

Another airport user, Pascal Edopolo, who is also clearing and forwarding agent said: “As a freight forwarder, they give us free access to this place, because of the union I belong to, but for other people who come here with their cars, they pay N200 and those with SUVs pay as much as N300. If I were in their shoe, I will protest the double gate fees. I would advice the government to look into this matter. We are not seeing what they are using the money for. You can see how the airport looks like. It is not supposed to look like this, if they are using the proceeds for maintenance of the airports. The issue is really discouraging many people from coming here to do business”.

Richard Brown, a businessman, said: “It is affecting us so much. If you pass here ten times with your vehicle, you must pay. So if you have a consignment of 10 to 15 tones to clear, you will end up paying so much to FAAN. And if you have business at Ikeja, say someone called for business at Ikeja, you must pay for the number of times you pass the tollgates.”

Justifying the toll collection at the Nation’s airports, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Yakubu Dati said the tariff being collected was for the maintenance of the airports

“We are doing that so that we can run the business, and to say that all over the world, people don’t pay to pass through the airports is not true, there are some places where people pay to pass through.” So people who pass through the airport to work and come back use the roads that is well maintained and all the things that are happening within the airport is within what we provide. We provide security and we provide cleanliness”. If the tolls the airport users pay are affecting their businesses, they wouldn’t go there to do business, people can not just be going there if they are not making profit. We raise money to run the airports, that is what we are doing,” he said
 
The Spokesperson of FAN in Abuja, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu also defended the toll, saying it is for maintenance purpose.
“The money is used for maintenance of the facilities at the airport. People come into the airport and they make use of our facilities. So this money that we charge is used for maintaining facilities, to work on the roads, work on the access gates and all of our facilities at the airport.”