OUR SERVICES
For help with Ticketing and Reservation Contact
Adebisi Esan – Email: a.esan@cgiar.org | Cell: 0805-5356703 Ext: 2863
1. When you are planning your travel, call or email your request indicating details of your travel plans to the Travel Services Unit. Try to be as precise as possible. You may even request options. Indicate dates, class of travel, airline preferences, etc. To ensure trouble-free travel and to get reasonable fares, please try to give at least 7 to 14 days notice of your plans. We know this is not always possible, but we urge you to do so wherever it is, and help us to also help you.
2. The Travel Officer will work out the itinerary and get back to you with the details, and this should include costs and conditions of travel. Normally, an itinerary will be worked out for you keeping in mind that the travel should be on the most economical and direct route. At the same time, itinerary must be passenger friendly, and therefore least tiring and time consuming. On the basis of discussion with the agent, they might even want to protect a booking and go ahead with the reservation.
3. On receipt of feedback your itinerary will be finalized and you may now request the Travel Officer to proceed with reservations, if this has not already been done. Confirmation by phone/e-mail is enough at this stage.
4. Confirm the booking by following up with a completed Travel Authorization (TA) form. This should be sent to the Travel office for verification, recording and immediate authorization to the airline or the agent, to issue ticket. This is IITA’s authorization to the agent to commit funds. Please note that ticket may not be issued without an approved TA, except in emergency circumstances.
5. A Reservation not ticketed within certain period is automatically cancelled by the airline. Please remember this and ensure your TA is sent early enough to beat the airline deadline.
6. All Prepaid Ticket Advice (PTA) reservations should be accompanied by passenger’s address and telephone contact, and must be done in good time (at least two weeks prior to departure and preferably earlier) to be able to secure seats. Kindly note however, that PTAs are a lot more expensive and refund is difficult when ticket is not used. It is therefore advisable to request passengers to buy their tickets from the country of origin whenever possible and get reimbursement from IITA.
7. Ticket will be issued immediately on receipt of TA and normally ready for collection within three days from the date that TA is received by the agent.
Note: Sometimes the airlines require photocopies of the international passport biographical data section and the visa for country of destination(s) before ticket is issued.
8. The Travel Office will inform the traveller when ticket is ready for collection. In cases where travel arrangements have been made within a very short period of time, the ticket might have to be left at the Ikeja Guest House or taken to the airport to hand over either to the traveller or the airport representative.
9. If there is a cancellation, please notify the Travel Office as early as possible to avoid being charged for “No Show” by the airline.
10. Traveller or their representative should interact closely with the Travel Officer that is making the reservation to get the best service.
Travel Authorization processing
Adebisi Esan – Email: a.esan@cgiar.org | Cell: 0805-5356703
Ext. 2863
Please remember that the first step in planning official travel is to complete a Travel Authorization form, indicating purpose of travel, itinerary, visa request, transportation, accommodation reservation, budget code to charge, etc. The use of Travel Authorization is mandatory for all official travels of all IITA staff. Travel Authorization not approved by staff supervisor and budget officer will be returned unprocessed.
Upon cancellation of a trip, staff member is responsible for cancelling the TA and returning air tickets as soon as they know that such tickets can no longer be used.
A. Diplomatic/Re-entry visa/Residence Permit
Contact: Toye Olaniyan – Email: t.olaniyan@cgiar.org | Cell: 08039791004
The Travel Office through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria Immigration Service in Abuja processes diplomatic visas/residence permit for IITA internationally recruited staff and their dependents. Under normal circumstances, it takes about 2 weeks to renew/process a diplomatic visa. Travellers should therefore ensure that their passports reach the Travel Office on time, and should not expect to use it during the processing period.
B. Regularization of stay
Contact: Toye Olaniyan – Email: t.olaniyan@cgiar.org | Cell: 08039791004
The Travel Office handles regularization of stay of IITA research fellows/consultants with contract appointment of six months and above. The research fellow/consultant will be requested to provide a set of documents that will facilitate the processing, which takes up to four weeks.
All internationally recruited staff, research fellows and consultants have the responsibility to ensure that their visas, and those of their dependants are kept current.
C. Passport
Nigerian Passports & Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Contact: Josephine Akpodovhan – Email: iita-travel-services@cgiar.org | Ext: 2390
Foreign Passports Contact: Joseph Onadele – Cell: 08039784019
The Travel Office assists with the processing of foreign, international Nigerian passports and ECOWAS permits. Travellers with valid passports should always ensure that there are still enough unused pages.
Please note that passport issue/renewal takes up to two weeks to process in some cases.
D. Visa
Contact: Funmi Oshikanlu – Cell: 0805-7421209
Always check with the Travel Office whether you require an entry visa for your destination. If so, you will be requested to submit necessary documents for the processing. Visa approval and issuance for some countries sometimes take up to four weeks. It is therefore, advisable to send in your request at least four weeks ahead, indicating budget code to charge for services.
Staff requiring any of these services will be requested to submit their passports and other documents to facilitate processing.
For Assistance Contact:
Hope Dial – Email: iita-travel-services@cgiar.org | Ext. 2390
The Travel office co-ordinates a shuttle service between Ibadan campus, Ikeja Guest House (IGH), and Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos. The purpose of operating the shuttle is to ensure that passengers arrive at the Airport in good time to complete departure formalities, to limit travel costs, and to provide security for lives and property in transit. The shuttle routinely leaves Ibadan campus at 3.00 p.m. and IGH at 7.30 a.m. and runs with a luggage van as a unit when necessary.
The following are the pick-up arrangements:
- Morning and mid-afternoon arrivals are met by Travel Services and conveyed to Ibadan same day subject to vehicle availability.
- Evening arrivals after 5.00 p.m. are met by Travel Services, conveyed to IGH to overnight, and to Ibadan by shuttle the next morning.
- The shuttle meets night arrivals, convey to IGH and to Ibadan campus along with evening arrivals the next morning.
Please inform us if you intend to make private transport arrangement in order to create room for others.
Transportation requests not backed by an approved Travel Authorization with official budget code will be charged to the personal account of staff concerned.
For Airport Assistance contact:
Andrew Agbeso – Email: a.agbeso@cgiar.org | Cell: 08034035044
Sunday Akinsanya – Email: O.Akinsanya@cgiar.org | Cell: 08033615008
Moses Gbadebo – Cell: 08039784427
Assistance through immigration and customs formalities is provided at the MM Airport by Travel Office staff and sometimes with some help from the Travel Agents’ representatives. Request for this assistance should be sent to the Travel Office, in writing, indicating flight date and number as well as time of departure/arrival. Whenever a passenger opts to make private transportation arrangements, it should be appreciated that Travel Services may not be able to assure departure/arrival formalities as the airport representative may be busy elsewhere. In any emergency situation while in transit, please contact us through the following telephone numbers: 0803-402-3913 (IGH day & night phone); 0803-403-5044; 0803-361-5008 and 02-2412626 extensions 2390 or 2388.
Overnight accommodation reservation
Contact: Abibat Odje – Cell: 08034023913
Please inform the Travel Office of your overnight accommodation requirement while in transit between Ibadan and the Airport. Upon request, we will reserve accommodation for you at the Ikeja Guest House, or when fully booked, at a hotel close by IGH. Guests are sometimes required to share rooms when the house is full.
IITA Ibadan – Contact: Hope Diai – Ext. 2388, 2390
Ikeja Guest House – Contact: Abibat Odje – Cell: 08034023913
The Ikeja Guest House Manager should be informed prior to delivery of official letters and parcels at IGH for sending through the shuttle for safety reasons. Letters and parcels must be properly addressed and budget code to charge for delivery written on the top right hand corner of the envelope.