Unions protest airports concession

Posted on by Wole Shadare

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Aviation workers today took to the streets to protest the planned concession of the Lagos and Abuja airports that has been sanctioned by the Federal Government.
While some unions like the Air Transport Senior Staff Services of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees(NUATE), rejected the concession, Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) another workers’ union backed the move as they clashed at the airport.
 The protest was not without events as the unions turned on each other in what can only be described as power play with some refusing others to express their views.
The lack of cooperation by the three unions led to disenchantment by many of the workers who were worried about inability to close ranks.
The NUATE and ATSSSAN back protesters carried placards with the following inscription, “Hadi Sirika renovated N50 m Abuja runway for N10b”,” Yemi Osibanjo is misinformed”,” Concession is evil, Hadi Sirika must go” filed the air as unions under the Joint Aviation Congress came together to protest the concession of airports.
The unionists who addressed the gathering made it clear of their intention to stand between the Federal Government and the concessioning of the nation’s aerodromes.
Secretary General of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye who spoke told the gathering that the Vice President could not concession the nation’s airports via Twitter.
He also expressed shock at the amount earmarked by the Minister in order to do a roadshow for the airports’ concession stating that it
is tending towards criminality in this age of digitization and the social media.
” The Vice President cannot go on his Twitter handle to say airports have been concessioned. Nigerian government is not run on Tweet itter. The Vice-President said two airports will be concessions and the minster says four airports so they are in confusion both minister and the Vice-President do not understand each other.”
” FG is budgeting N600 million to advertise the airports overseas. But if you concession the cash cows Lagos and Abuja what about Ibadan and Akure? They will die automatically.”
Also speaking, president of ATSSSAN, Amadu ilitrus called on all the unions to shun the in-fighting and come together to create a stronger and more vibrant position.
” we must negotiate from a position of strength. We must mobilise and get it right.”
Just last week Monday, Professor Osinbajo, announced that the federal government had approved the granting of an operating concession for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to private operators. 
 
The announcement was a confirmation of the policy of the federal government to give the running of the four major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, to private entities. 
 
The idea was mooted in 2015 by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.
 
Sirika had said that airport concession, establishment of national carrier, establishment of aircraft leasing company, and the establishment of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility would be the major planks of development by the Buhari administration in the aviation sector.
 
In April this year, he reiterated the need to grant operating concessions for the airports, describing the plan as the only viable option to modernise and make the airports serve travellers better.
 
He noted that there was not much government could do in terms of investing more funds to develop the airports, stressing that government does not have such funds and there is a better alternative, which is to improve the infrastructure through airport concessions.
Wole Shadare