Aviation workers shut aviation, protest airports concession

Aviation workers under the aegis of National Union of Air Transport Association Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) shut activities at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, albeit temporarily as they protested the planned concession of four of the major airports across the country. The four aerodromes slated for concession are the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, the Port-Harcourt International Airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.

The protest took place simultaneously in all the airports across the country.

The workers who had thronged the road leading to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) headquarters spoke on why the airports should not be concessioned, saying that the Federal Government was yet to convince stakeholders on the need for its action to concession them.

The Federal Government through the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika has pursued vigorously concession of the facilities, citing the need to improve decaying facilities at virtually all the airport and the quest to boost air traffic and inefficiencies that are lacking at Nigerian airports.

The workers who sang solidarity songs carried placards with many inscriptions. Some of them read, “Airport concession is a threat to national security”, FAAN workers say no to concession of airports”, “Concession is a fraud in disguise Nigerians will never benefit from”, “Airport concession is economic terrorism”, “Concession is aimed at killing the 17 local airport”, “FAAN management has failed FAAN workers”.

Heavily armed Ssecurity operatives from the Nigeria Police Airport Command were strategically stationed to prevent break-down of law and order and as they proceeded to the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), they followed them closely.

The National Chairman of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Mohammed Tukur said his members were around to show solidarity to the protest by the two aviation unions, NUATE and ATSSSAN in their quest to halt the planned airports concession.

A union member from ATSSSAN, Sarah Rindas said they are opposed to concession because government was yet to explain the modalities for the exercise.

She stated that workers’ collective resources and life are tied to the airports, especially the four viable ones slated for concession.

Her words, “What happened to our salaries and pension when they are sold”? Enough is enough. We say no to concession. Our collective resources and life are tied to the airports. What happens to our future?, he asked.

Rindas admitted massive graft and rot in FAAN, but stated that that was not enough to consider selling them under any guise despite humongous interference from the Ministry, law makers and others.

“Despite all the interference, we are still breaking even. Over the years, we have had eight Ministers without consistency. It is not FAAN workers that are responsible for the rot in aviation. Our own model of managing airports is different from what is obtained in other countries. These four are the major cash-cow for the 21 airports.”

Wole Shadare