Whenever i set out to travel out of Nigeria, my greatest worries have always been how to pass through the Nigerian International airport especially the one in Lagos
It has always been a source of headache
The place is always choked, congested,the long queues is unending , checking in process is cumbersome
The airport officials which includes FAAN Staff , DSS, Immigration , NDLEA and ofcourse Immigration ends up giving you migraines
The experience i had when I travelled to Canada in October 2023 is still fresh on my mind
My return was even worse. Apart from the congestions and " harassments " , the airport cooling system is nothing to write home about
Retrieving bags is another major problem
So I've made up my mind to pysche myself up weeks before any trip before embarking on them
But this is not the norm in most of the countries I've visited
Last year alone , i passed through several International airports including the ones in Paris , Amsterdam and Toronto, all were seamless
Infact the new Kotoko International airport in Accra Ghana is something to behold
I therefore asked my self , when will Nigeria live up to these international airports
It was at the Dubai airport that i noticed for the first time that , all you need to do is have an eye contact with a camera and once it recognizes you , you're done with Immigration.
I had all these phobias when i was scheduled to travel to AFCON 2023.
My flight was Cote d'ivoire Airline
The check in counter is the newly constructed Murtala Mohammed Airport ( 2 ) , I've not used it before
Nothing in the world prepared me for what i saw.
The beauty of the airport was something to behold
I couldn't believe such an airport exist in Nigeria
All the lifts were working , the airport was sparkling clean, the elevators were top notched
Checking in was seamless
And all the officers were courteous, dutiful and up and doing
Everything about the airport was automated
Ohh , this can't be Naija , but Naija indeed it was
The air condition dey chill die
For once i was so proud of my country
I commend those behind this , this airport is a real testimony to the new Nigerian spirit
But the airport is currently under utilized
There are just about four airlines using the airport ( i don't know why )
The Minister of Aviation should order all International Carriers to immediately move to the airport from the old congested, " smelling " airport
It also have enough parking space for vehicles
My only issue here is that, i hope we will be able to maintain the current standard as it.
Kudos guys , its good to be back after a one week trip to Abidjan for AFCON
Abidjan airport compared to this airport is like comparing a brand new Range Rover 2024 model to Lagos Danfo 😎😁🤗
But we need wifi at all our International airports as it is the standard allover the world
Proudly Nigerian
Pictures : Taken On My Arrival Today
Chris Kehinde Nwandu is a Journalist, UK Certified Arbitrator and Law Graduate
He Wrote in from Lagos , Nigeria