Unions reach consensus, back Nigeria Air project, says AON suit unpatriotic

• Airline at 90% completion stage, group lists benefits

There are indications that the planned national carrier, Nigeria Air was 90 percent ready before some airlines went to court in a bid to abort the project.

Consequently, the training of over 40 pilots and cabin crew is ongoing by Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa just as there are plans by the Federal Government is moving swiftly to vacate the suit filed by Air Peace, United Nigeria, Azman, and Top Brass to truncate the dream of having a national airline for the country.

The decision to bring forward the next hearing of the suit from February next year to January 16^th, 2023 is a result of the urgency required to set up a project that is very dear to President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a related development, the Joint Consultative and Negotiating Council (JCNC), an amalgam of four existing trade unions in the Ministry of Aviation has unanimously backed the floating of a national carrier, branding the actions of some domestic carriers to stop the carrier as not only, ‘unpatriotic’ but ‘selfish and wicked’.

Director of Human Resources in the Ministry of Aviation, Mrs. Nkechi Nwokocha who represented the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika emphatically said Nigerians want a national carrier, expressing her joy at the various supports the Ministry was receiving for the setting up of the carrier.

President of the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association (ATSSSAN), Illitrus Ahmadu, President of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) Ben Nnabue among other union chieftains.

Speaking at the 2022 last quarter strategic retreat with the theme, “Establishment of Nigeria’s National Carrier-Aviation Unions’ Perspective”, holding in Owerri, Imo State, Vice Chairman JCNC, Yunusa Abdulsalam recalled that last week, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika made overtures to the airline, stressing that it was not too late for them to buy into the new carrier, more than six months after he first made appealed to them on the desirability of the project.

He described the action of the carriers as selfish and unpatriotic, adding that the airlines clamouring for monopoly do not even have the capacity to offer quality services.

In his reaction, Ahmedu asked, “Does the government have the right to float an airline? The same private airlines apply to the government for licenses and they are granted. Telling a sovereign government not to form an airline or do what it feels is good for the people”.

“The model introduced for Nigeria Air is a legacy model of 41, 51% equity and that is the model that is applied in many parts of the world for an airline that is a start-up. Certain things against the national airline belong to old thinking and archaic. I know the reason why the shareholding is so. We must rise now to ensure we have a national carrier”.

He expressed the attitude of some of the carriers that rushed to the court to stop Nigeria Air.

“We should be nationalistic with our thinking. If we don’t have a national carrier in the next five years, we should forget it. I don’t know why Air Peace has not been able to establish a hub in Lagos. We have a country. If we have a vibrant aviation sector, there would be jobs. I support this project.

“I believe in this project. I weep that we don’t have a national carrier. Every reasonable Nigerian should support this project. I am even shocked that the carriers that are highly indebted to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to the tune of over N10b; the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) are owed over N20 billion”.

The union leader wondered why the local airlines were scared of the new carrier, adding that Sirika had on several occasions invited the carriers to partner with Nigeria Air, begging them to ‘donate’ their aircraft as part of their equity for the new airline which was rejected only to come back with so many reasons why the project should not see the light of day.

The NUATE President on his part said national carrier was desirable, stressing that his organization had for the past five years supported it because it would help to reduce capital flight.

“National carrier as a project, we want it. Let us fix the remaining issues that need to be addressed. Even the Minister cannot stop it. It is beyond him. We need to reduce capital flight with the floating of this airline”.

Aviation Consultant, Dr. Daniel Young in his presentation said there are over one million reasons the aviation unions must back Nigeria Air carpeted the carriers for what he described as selfishly and an attempt to drag the country back.

Deputy General Manager of Industrial Relations, NAMA Solomon Ohiomah described the action as ambushing and using the judiciary to truncate a well-thought project.

He tasked the Ministry of Aviation to convoke an urgent meeting comprising the Minister, and Permanent secretary to interact and educate people on the project.

Chairman JCNC, Hector Nnadi said the carrier would confer a lot of advantages to the nation and continue to project Nigeria in good light at a point, “Many of the domestic airlines have failed abysmally”.

A top official of Aviation Safety Round Table (ASRT), Mr. Olumide Ohunayo admitted that while the project is good, he said all the grey areas should be resolved to remove doubts in the minds of people he said are not comfortable with the project.

Wole Shadare