The Bayelsa State Government has solicited the partnership and services of the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) to ensure smooth operational take-off of the state International Cargo Airport, located along Amassoma Road in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
The Director General of the Bayelsa Investment Promotion Agency (BIPA), Ms Patience Abah, made the appeal while conducting officers of the NCS on a facility tour of the airport facilities in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, on Tuesday.
Abah, who described the services of NCS as critical in a cargo airport, also disclosed that the state government was also collaborating with the NCS in the Agge Deep Seaport project.
She said: “We are forming the right partnership with key stakeholders to assist us in providing support services to investors and business persons, and among the key stakeholders is the NCS. We are commissioning our cargo airport very soon and we cannot operate cargo services 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 provision of services and again the NCS will play a vital role in making sure that those services are in a way it is actualised.”
The Comptroller of the Rivers/Bayelsa Command of the NCS, who was represented by Assistant Superintendent Dyako Tyavkase, in his remarks, said the role of of custom officers in an airport was critical, particularly in the area of revenue generation, and assured the state government of the readiness of NCS to partner them when the airport begins operations.
