Lagos Airport: We need to quickly correct things, says Osinbajo

Barely few days after the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) adopted a 60-day Action Plan to push Ease of Doing Business reforms in the country, Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, paid a surprise visit to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, declaring an urgent task to correct many of the problems already identified by the council.

A statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, in Abuja yesterday quoted Osinbajo as saying the over one hour visit was in line with the work of PEBEC.

According to him: “As part of our work on the Ease of Doing Business, on making the environment friendly, not just for local businesses, but also for those who want to come and do business in Nigeria, the airport obviously is one of the major places where we need to ensure that facilities are working and that things are being run properly.

“So, we have looked around, we have seen some of the equipment. There are many things that need to be done, many things that need to be corrected, and we have to work on them as quickly as possible.”

During the unscheduled visit, the Acting President checked out the toilets and observed some of the non-functioning carousels in the Arrival Hall, went to Immigration officials to check the progress of plans to grant visa on arrivals to foreign investors, observed the non-functioning air-conditioners and chillers in the Departure and Arrival Halls, the escalators and elevators that are in a state of disrepair, among several others.

He was accompanied by the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika. Specifically, at Tuesday’s meeting of PEBEC in Abuja, Osinbajo said” “We are trying to improve the business environment in three broad respects- the entry and exit of goods, entry and exit of persons into Nigeria and general government transparency and efficiency in government agencies and parastatals.”