There is no reason for FAAN to increase cargo levy from N7 to N25 – freight forwarders

A group of customs licenced agents and freight forwarders have submitted that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has no reason to increase the levy it collects on a kilo of a cargo from N7 to N25 since it provides no warehouse and equipment for final delivery of cargo to importers.

The freight forwarders and customs licenced agents made this submission while addressing the media over their rejection of the increase in Lagos on Thursday, February 5, 2026.

Speaking on behalf of the freight forwarders and customs licenced agents, Mr. Oludare Layoku, Managing Director of D-One International Services Limited, said despite payment of the N7 cargo levy, freight forwarders and customs agents still pay all sorts of undue high charges for car park, toll gate, car sticker and port access card to the FAAN whereas the airport is their legitimate place of work.

Oludare Layoku noted that FAAN arrived at the increment without seeking their concerns, pointing out that the increase, inclusive CVS and bank charges, totalling N25, and with these other levies have somehow caused their production cost to rise arbitrarily, thus eroding their marginal profits.

“Airlines handle everything. When airlines bring the goods, they transfer it from the tarmac to the warehouses under the control of NAHCO and SAHCO who protect our goods and warehousing it. They also provide forklifts to lift and move our goods. They also provide cold room. Where is the contribution of FAAN in all these delivery procedures?, asked Layoku, who said customs agents and freight forwarders do not benefit anything from the FAAN.

According to him, “We are customs licensed agents and our operation base is the airport. Why should we be paying for car stickers and toll gate when we are not visitors to the airport? They are inconveniencing us.”

Layoku blamed the arbitrary increase in the levies by the FAAN on the systemic leadership failure in the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in providing directions for agents in an auspicious time like this. “It is unfortunate that FAAN could arrive at such an increment without seeking our opinions. In the time of Dr. Lere Ogundele as the ANLCA Chairman, ANLCA would have received a circular of the increase. The chairman would address agents on the next line of action. It is unfortunate that such a thing is no longer in practice in ANLCA anymore. Even some fractional leaders surreptitiously go to the FAAN and influence them to increase charges because of their selfish interests,” said he.

The customs agents said because of their rejection of the increase, FAAN has threatened ANLCA and other associations with an injection order, asking them to relocate their secretariat buildings from the Lagos airport.

Layoku therefore called for a compromise between FAAN and customs agents, suggesting that while FAAN is insisting on going ahead with the increment, it must begin to dignify them as responsible airport workers and should stop collecting car park levy and toll gate levy from them.

He called for an end to the leadership crisis in the airport chapter of ANLCA, believing that when ANLCA is in order, customs agents would earn their rightful place before the decision-making bodies in the airport.