Scarcity of trolleys has hit the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, making it difficult for travellers to carry their luggage at the airport.
Trolleys are hard to come by at the airport, making porters to make brisk businesses, providing trolleys to travellers at the airport.
Mrs HenriettaYakubu, Deputy General Manager of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) confirmed the shortage of the trolleys at the airport.
She explained that porters were employed initially by FAAN to help aged people and travellers with excess luggage before the FAAN management decided to sack the porters because of their fraudulent activities at the airports.
“A window was opened whereby porters reached an agreement with the management to pay some amount of money monthly for the trolley in order to continue operating at the airport but with a warning not to demand money except it is given willingly by passengers.
“It is because of this abuse of opportunity that FAAN normally punished any porter caught in any illicit act within the airport by either suspending or dismissing them from operating in the airport, depending on the gravity of the offence,’’ Yakubu said
She said that FAAN had decided to make the trolleys available to porters who were to pay N5,000 monthly to FAAN, noting that it was for that reason that the porters, in turn, demanded money from travellers to help carry their luggage.
“Presently, the number of trolleys that we have at the airport is not enough to meet up with the demand of the passengers, due to high inflow and outflow of travellers at the airport daily.
“We cannot deny the fact of insufficient and unserviceable trolleys at the airport and this has been affecting the passengers but the management was looking into the matter before the issue of re-modelling of the airports came on board.
“ I believe things will change soon and the issue will be addressed as soon as possible because the re-modelling process is in phases; when it is time, the issue of trolley will be touched.
“Moreover, some private organisations have indicated interest in supplying us,’’ Yakubu said.
She said that pottering services at the NAIA had yet to be put on concession like at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where trolleys were readily available for people to use at N100 for a trolley.
Mr Joe Obi, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation, also confirmed the scarcity of trolleys at the Abuja Airport.
He told NAN that the ministry had procured more trolleys that would be supplied to airports across the country.
“More than enough have already been procured and would be deployed for use soon,’’ Obi said. Culled: NAN/247nigerianewsupdate
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