The Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria (ACHAN) has urged the federal and state governments to curb the activities of illegal cab drivers at airports.
Warning that security of passengers and facilities was at risk, ACHAN said 98 per cent of missing passengers’ cases were linked to those who boarded unregistered cabs.
The operators also said terrorists could use such cabs to bomb airport facilities.
President of ACHAN, Chief Stanley Worlu Dike, at the weekend charged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to urgently heed the alarm by the group.
He advised FAAN to provide office spaces for ACHAN members since the association complements the efforts of government in providing job opportunities for young Nigerians.
Speaking, Chairman, Board of Trustees of ACHAN, Alhaji Muili Yinusa, said the military location at the General Aviation Terminal 1 in Lagos has become a safe haven for such unregistered operators.
He said, “A lot of illegal operate from the military location at the GAT and when they steal passengers’ luggage or property, the victims run down to look for the Chairman of ACHAN”.
Yinusa further appealed to FAAN to cancel the proposed ‘Pay As You Go’ policy the airports management authority was planning to impose on ACHAN members.
“We pay millions of naira to FAAN annually, so we are supposed to enjoy certain privileges as other concessionaire”, he added.