Aviation unions to sue FG over concession

Insistence by the federal government to concession four major airports in the country may take a new dimension as leading unions in the industry have threatened to sue the government if it does not reverse its stand.

The unions, Air Transport Staff Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) under the umbrella body of the Joint Action Congress (JAC), said that it might sue government as a last resort if all entreaties to it fails.

The resolve to sue the government was reached at the ATSSSAN’s Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) branch secretariat at Maintenance Yard last Tuesday.

Apart from the plan to sue the government, members of JAC also agreed that unions should send two representatives, each, to the Public Private Partnership (PPP) committee on concession of the four major airports set up by the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, recently.

Also, the unions also immediately called for a three-day fasting period, beginning from today for all aviation workers to ensure that the plans of the government did not come into fruition. Besides, a source close to the meeting told our Correspondent that the unions were planning a massive rally this Thursday at the Freedom Square, close to the headquarters of FAAN.

The source said, “JAC members are not taking the issue of concession very lightly because we have made every effort to ensure that the government backs down on its plans, but it seems this government has already made up its plans on what it wants to do.

“The unions agreed that as a backup plan, the minister can be taken to court to get an injunction restricting him from the concessions. Also, comrades were enjoined to gather as much information as possible on the concession arrangements.”

A source close to the government told our Correspondent that the planned concession of the airports was a marching order given to Sirika by President Muhammadu Buhari as the government is looking critically to reduce its expenditure. It would be recalled that Sirika had set aside Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports for concessioning in the first phase, but this decision, has sharply divided stakeholders in the industry.

While some say it was a step in the right direction, others seriously kicked against it. Sirika had said last week in Lagos that the only way the nation’s aviation industry could achieve its aim of being a hub on the continent was for the government to go ahead with its concession plan.

He argued that with the proper concessionaire of the airports, the infrastructural decay in the sector would be properly addressed while more revenues would be generated for the government.

Also, the Managing Director, Aeroconsult, Capt. Dele Ore, said that the industry would move forward with the concessioning of the airport. He recalled that as the chairman of Airport Concession Committee in 2008, the committee had recommended for some of the airports to be concessioned but lamented that the report was never implemented by the government.

“There must be a deliberate policy for Nigerians, who are out of jobs to be engaged by the system. We need to move on, but we can’t achieve that with our present way of thinking.