The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday began the collection of toll from motorists using the new access control gate of the Hajj/Cargo terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the toll was collected from motorists before they were allowed to go through the gate.
NAN correspondent observed that cars, sports utility vehicles, trucks and lorries paid different amounts to get in.
Speaking with NAN at the terminal, FAAN Regional Manager, South West, Mr Solomon Odugbemi, said the idea of the new toll gate was to check the number of cars coming into the terminal daily.
“We decided to use the new access gate for both trucks and vehicles, while the old entrance will be used as their exit.
“On the other hand, pedestrians will only be allowed to use the old gate for their entry and exit.
“Access to the new gate for motorists is not free as they will pay the normal toll fees they are paying when they are coming inside the airport,” he said.
Odugbemi said that the normal toll being collected on behalf of FAAN by a concessionaire on the airport road was different from the one at the entrance into the main cargo terminal.
NAN correspondents gathered that several persons that had no identity cards were also denied access into the terminal.
Odugbemi said the move was to restrict unauthorised persons from crowding the terminal.
He said: “the only way we can do that is to ensure that we ‘man’ access to the terminal.
“We have designed passes for people that have business to do in the terminal.
“Some of them have already received the passes while we are still working on others.
“It will be like an ongoing exercise. If you are a worker, you will need to register with a valid I.D card from the company you are working for.
“When you are a customer and you want to clear your goods or cargo, you will have genuine documents to show that will convince us that you have something authentic to do here.
“But a situation where everybody will just flock here from everywhere and make the place like a market place will no longer be tolerated.”
Odugbemi said that FAAN needed to play its part in beefing up security at airports in view of the present security challenges in the country. (NAN)
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