Dr. Oluropo Owolabi, former Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC (SAHCO), has expressed deep embarrassment and concern over the alarming transformation of international bonded cargo terminals into illegal vehicle dealerships, unauthorized trading hubs, and chaotic parking lots for commercial motorcycles.

In a fiery critique of the state of aviation logistics in Nigeria while reflecting on the original vision and world-class design of major handling facilities like the Sifax Bonded Warehouse, Dr. Owolabi speaking at the SAHCO’s Cargo Stakeholders Forum held at Marriot hotels in Lagos, emphasized that the infrastructure was built to match top global standards capable of handling heavy logistics efficiently.

He asserted that Sifax operates one of the finest international warehouse setups in Africa, designed specifically to ensure seamless document processing, customs duty assessments, security clearances, and swift cargo releases without unnecessary human bottlenecks.

​However, systemic decay and severe operational interference have crippled the clearing process. Dr. Owolabi pointed to the overwhelming presence of unnecessary government security agencies as a primary cause of chronic delays at the ports.

While globally competitive airports streamline operations with minimal personnel, Nigerian terminals routinely suffer from up to ten different agency representations hovering around single consignments.

​”If you want to buy a good car today, you go to the airport cargo warehouse! That place is meant strictly for clearing goods, not for people to sit down and start selling like a sausage market.”

According to Dr Owolabi, this influx of personnel creates intense bureaucratic friction, slowing down customs documentation, immigration checks, and NDLEA inspections, ultimately leaving importers and cargo agents stranded after making mandatory handling payments.

​The former SAHCO chief also called out regulatory overlap and jurisdictional friction, particularly targeting the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Reminding stakeholders of the legal status of bonded terminals, Dr Owolabi clarified that customs authorities exercise sole legal custody over goods within cargo warehouses until duty release.

While acknowledging FAAN’s role as the primary landlord deserving of ground lease fees, he insisted that airport authorities must stick to structural maintenance rather than interfering in cargo handling operations, warning that if private ground handling operators like Sifax or NAHCO were to pull their specialized equipment out of the airports, aviation logistics in the country would instantly collapse.

​Urging immediate executive intervention and enforcement, Dr. Owolabi appealed to FAAN, law enforcement, and federal ministries to restore order, drastically reduce the number of security personnel stationed at cargo hubs, and clear out the sprawling illegal car sales, truck blockades, and unregulated traffic engulfing airport access roads before the situation becomes completely unmanageable.