Mkpoikana Udoma
09 October 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt — Towards the development of its aviation and maritime potentials, the Bayelsa State Government has expressed readiness to partner with the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to ensure a hitch free take-off of its international cargo airport as well as its upcoming Agge deep seaport project.
Recall that the Bayelsa State government had before now announced that the state owned International Cargo Airport located in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, would commenced operations in August 2018, although operations have not yet begun at the airport up till today.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Francis Otta-Agbo, described the services of NCS as critical in a cargo airport operations.
He said the Bayelsa State Investment Promotion Agency, BIPA, was already collaborating with Sifax Group, the parent company of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited, as well as Sifax Haulage and Logistics Limited on the project.
The statement quoted the Director-General of BIPA, Ms Patience Ranami, as appealing to NCS during a facility tour of the airport, adding that the state government was also collaborating with NCS on the state-owned Agge Deep Seaport project.
According to the statement, “We are forming the right partnership with key stakeholders to assist us in providing service to investors and business persons and among the key stakeholders in the NCS.
“We are commissioning our cargo airport very soon and we cannot operate cargo service without the involvement of NCS because there will be export and import services, so their role is very critical to making sure that these operations run smoothly.
“We also have the Agge Seaport project that we are working on as well and we intend to set up a terminal for movement of critical goods and services and again the NCS will play a critical role in making sure that those services are in a way it is supposed to be.”
