By Daniel Eteghe

President of the Association of Nigerian Courier Operations (ANCO), Mr. Toyin Olufade has decried the sorry state of cargo facilities at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, describing it as worrisome.

Speaking at a Press briefing organised by the Airfreight Stakeholders Forum (ASF) at Tradeway Express, Mafoluku, Lagos, he stated that there is an urgent need to update obsolete navigational and cargo handling facilities in all the airports in the country to meet the evolving standards in the world.

He said an efficient and dynamic air shipping service is very vital for economic growth and improved living standard of the populace adding that the changes that airfreight has caused in the world trade has brought about new demands in the area of new markets.

He said: “ There is a record of growing proportion of high-value, time-sensitive products traversing boundaries by air thereby creating increased opportunities for trade and economic development especially in the developing countries.

There is therefore an urgent need to update obsolete navigational and cargo handling facilities in all our airports to meet the evolving standards.”

Olufade further stated that all the designated cargo airports in the country today need state-of- the-art facilities and expertise to receive, store, process and ship all types of cargoes.

According to him: ”All the service providers should make adequate information available to the shippers/would-be shippers on rules and regulations governing the carriage of cargo by air to prevent forfeiture or loss of cargo.”

He further enumerated other challenges bedeviling airfreight operations to include inadequate infrastructure, harsh operational environment, incessant policy shift amongst others, Mr. Olufade stressed that there was need for government agencies to regulate the activities of operators in the sector.

“Security is a huge technical and practical challenge for air shipping services in Nigeria. We suggest that a unique security and safety surveillance system be designed and put in place in all the airports to ensure adequate security coverage in the sector,” he added.