The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have reassured passengers using the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja that the agency is working tirelessly to ensure that cooling systems across airports are fixed ahead of the busy holiday season.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, gave the assurance even as passengers who have endured the heat, darkness, endless queues and decaying restrooms, feels like the promise is one they have heard many times before.
In a save our soul message Wednesday, travelers using the International wing of the airport hinted that the terminal has become a symbol of everything that frustrates them about travelling through Nigeria.
Several passengers who passed through the terminal describe the same experience: a sudden wave of heat that hits you even before your passport is checked, followed by the sinking realisation that the cooling systems simply do not work.
They stated that the problem is not new, only worsening. Adding,
Over the years, the airport has earned a reputation for sudden power hiccups, sometimes plunging entire halls into darkness right when international flights are processing hundreds of passengers.
For many, arriving in Abuja no longer feels like coming home; it feels like stepping into a wall of discomfort that begins immediately after touchdown.
Over the past two weeks, complaints about stifling heat, nonfunctional air conditioners, intermittent power outages and painfully slow processes have poured in from travelers of all ages, nations and flight classes.
Despite reports that new cooling units are procured almost annually, travelers insist that little seems to change.
Air conditioners break down too frequently, and the burden falls on the passengers who must endure the battle against heat while immigration queues crawl forward.
According to Julius Basil, who travelled into Abuja recently. He described the moment he stepped off the plane and into the terminal. Instead of a sense of relief that the journey had ended, he said what greeted him was a wave of discomfort. “The restrooms are always the first shock,” he said.
“Many of them are in a state that does not benefit any international airport. Even airports in smaller neighbouring countries maintain their toilets better. Ours lack tissue paper, lack air fresheners, lack soap. And sometimes the internet is just not working at all.”
He said arriving passengers are forced to endure a sense of embarrassment, especially those who travelled with foreigners. “You feel ashamed,” he said. “You expect the airport of the capital city to reflect some pride.”