…Commends, FG,FAAN On Implementation Of Executive Order
A passenger travelling from Nigeria to the United States yesterday demanded for receipt and certificate from officials Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS) at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport(MMA), Lagos, after paying N2,500 to the agency for some food items bound for US.
The passenger, Mrs. Margaret Bolurin after paying NAQS insisted that she must be receipted and given certificate .
Her insistence drew the attention of officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the airport ,who intervened the matter by telling them to be fast at issuing the passenger receipt and the certificate.
At this point NAQS officials had no other option but to issue her a receipt, a departure from the old order where NAQS officials delayed intending passengers for hours before screening their luggage manually before proceeding to the sixth floor where the agency’s office is to issue receipt and certificate.
As at the time of filing this report Bolurin was travelling out of Nigeria to the USA with some kilogrammes of grounded pepper, Mellon and dried bitter leaves, which the NAQS officials insisted she must pay and get certification to prevent a situation where should would not be allowed to enter the US with these food items
Bolurin hinted that her concern was not the N2,500 she paid but the delay suffered, as according to her NAQS officials kept her waiting before issuing her receipt and certificate.
After forcing NAQS officials to do the right thing Bolurin commended the Acting President Prof Yemi Osinbajo for approving the implementation of the Executive Order for the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.
According to her, “ the Executive Order recently issued, by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is to also assist in the seamless passengers facilitation in our airports and to bring us to global standard . But this set of people, who claimed they are quarantine officials is poised to truncate or sabotage it for personal selfish reasons. If not, why are they keeping their receipts and the certificates on the sixth floor while they screen and collect money from passengers on the first floor? Where is the seamless facilitation here? I have checked in almost 50 minutes ago and I have been kept here waiting for a receipt and certificate. I want somebody to explain to me why I should not collect the receipt for the money paid after wasted almost an hour here.”
Bolurin also commended FAAN for the full implementation of the Executive Order.
She stated that the implementation has brought sanity to the nation’s busiest airport,urging FAAN to ensure sustainence of the order.
“I must commend the management of this airport for full implementation of this Presidential Order in the airport. It shows Nigeria has people who can do us proud. I had used this airport several times. I knew what the situation was. But I am proud to be a Nigerian with what I am seeing here today. All the processes that gave room to extortion and other vices in the airport have been removed except this quarantine people,” she said.
