Aviation unions chide Osinbajo, Sirika over airport concession
Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo
The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) has renewed its fight against the proposed concession of four viable international airports in the country, stressing that they are out to work against it by all means.
Members of ANAP, majorly of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch and other unions including: Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN);
National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and National Union of Pensioners (NUP) equally blamed the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for midwifing the concession arrangement which they described as detrimental to the aviation workers across the country.
Speaking at the Election of Executive Members/Delegates Conference held weekend at Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos President of the union, Comrade Kabir Yahaya Gusau said that ANAP is totally against the concession of airports in the country.
Rather than a concession of the viable airports, arbitrarily, Gusau suggested that government should dialogue with the existing workers and other stakeholders in a roundtable discussion to know how to move the airport forward to the betterment of the nation.
The ANAP President General promised that the workers are ready to work out ways to improve the revenue generation if that is the government’s reason for concessioning the airports.
Collaborating Gusau’s views, secretary general of ANAP Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu said that, if government should go ahead with concession as planned by the Minister of State, Aviation, it would rather add to the unemployment level as the concessionaires would want to maximise profits by reducing its overhead costs through staff rationalisation leading to unemployment of the affected workers.
While informing that the labour unions will continue to oppose any form of concession in view of past and present corrupt tendencies being applied to favour few individuals, Comrade Saiidu lamented, that almost all the revenue points at the airports have been concessioned adding that nothing was left.
Saidu reminded the audience that all the previous concessions had been dogged with one controversy or another through alleged rip-offs both within the industry and in other sectors of the economy which have been subjected to several litigations that have not been resolved.
Citing the concessioning of the Murtala Mohammed Airport Two (MMA2) as a very good example, Saidu said “We have drawn a battle line with the government.
Unless the Vice President will show us the agreement made by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services (BASL) Limited from 12 years of operations to 36 years, we will not stop our agitation on the dangers of airport concession”
He said their position was informed by the previous concession of federal entities such as the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and several others.
The ANAP scribe added that their position has been forwarded to the Presidency, National Assembly including the Joint Committee on Aviation and the Infrastructure and Concession Regulatory Commission and the Minister of State, Aviation.
In his speech, newly elected Chairman of ANAP, Comrade Alale Adedayo vowed that ANAP will continue to oppose the concession of airports in the country.
“We made the Honourable Minister of State, Aviation realize the consequences of the concession and our position was made known to him.
Though the battle is not yet over but with the solidarity support of other sister unions, the struggle is still ongoing which by his grace we shall conquer.”
Meanwhile, the elective delegate conference of ANAP, FAAN branch saw the former ANAP chairman, Comrade Alale Adedayo returned unopposed through a unanimous decision of the delegates.
The vote of confidence on the Chairman and his team was moved by Comrade Ajani Akin Alamu and was seconded by Maureen Nweze.
