Aviation agencies near insolvency over 50% deduction, unions, workers to shut sector

The aviation agencies are reeling under immense financial difficulty owing to the deduction from source of 50% of their revenue which has made them prostrate and unable to meet their statutory functions.

As a result, there are indications that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and others may no longer be able to pay the salaries of workers aside from the fact that aviation safety could be compromised as a result of the Federal Government’s policy that asked that 50 per cent of aviation agencies’ generated revenues be deducted from source.

Consequently, the various aviation unions comprising the National Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Practitioners ( ANAP), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees and the Air Transports Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSSAN) have concluded plans to embark on a nationwide protest to force the government to rescind the decision.

In a “Save Aviation from Collapse” notice of nationwide protest letter made available to Aviation Metric, the unions led by their leaders, Ocheme Aba, Abdul Rsaq Saidu, Francis Akinjole, Olayinka Abioye and Sikiru Waheed threatened that all workers of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), NAMA, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB)joined by the solidarity of workers have been directed to embark on peaceful at all airports nationwide from August 21, 2024.

They noted that the nationwide protest was to demand the discontinuation of the deduction of 50% from the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the aviation agencies.

According to them, “All efforts on our part have failed to impress it upon the Federal Government that all the agencies are cost recovery and not profit-making organisations. As such, they cannot survive on half of their incomes under any model of administration or any other guise whatsoever.”

The union leaders disclosed that the information available to them indicated that some important safety critical activities of the agencies were grinding to a halt under the yoke of deductions, stressing that it had become incumbent on them as trade unions and workers in aviation to let the public and the government be aware that, “We shall bear no responsibility in the certain event that the industry becomes dysfunctional as a result of financial incapacity due to the deductions at source”.

They further stated that all state councils, women commissions/committees, youth councils and branches of their unions nationwide are to fully mobilize for and ensure full compliance and success of the peaceful protests.

The aviation agencies, particularly NAMA are greatly challenged. The agencies are battling to survive because of the Federal Government’s deduction of its revenue from source by 50%.

Stakeholders have faulted the 50% revenue deduction, alerting the government that the safety of the Nigerian airspace is paramount, as they agreed that the current financial model is unsustainable.

They had at different fora, urged the Federal Government to exempt agencies like the NCAA and NAMA from the deduction, considering their responsibilities in ensuring the safety of Nigeria’s airspace.

According to them, the 50% revenue deduction hinders the agency’s ability to maintain and upgrade critical infrastructure, such as obsolete surveillance systems, which are over a decade old and urgently need replacement.

Wole Shadare