Aviation unions have vowed to resist the planned concession of the four most profitable airports, claiming that could lead to job losses in a non-transparent process.
But the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, said the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA), the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano (MAKIA), the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos (MMIA), and the Port Harcourt International Airport would improve job creation efforts.
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The aviation unions comprising the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (ATSSSAN), on Monday held a demonstration at the airports.
In Abuja, Chairman of NUATE –Abuja chapter, Comrade Ahmed Yusuf, said: “We are protesting because while we were in a lockdown, the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, surprisingly received the outline business case (OBC) certificate for the concession of the four most viable airports out of the 22 in Nigeria.
“We totally reject the concession because it is not transparent. If the four viable airports are concessioned, the remaining 18 airports will die because these four airports sustain the others.”
He said the unions suggested greenfield concession where the concessionaire will acquire a virgin land, build, operate and transfer the airports.
Comrade Samuel Wuyep, Chairman of ATTSSSAN (Abuja) said: “The Unions have never agreed that the concession should happen.”
In Kano, Chairman of ATSSSAN (Kano), Sama’ila Muhammad Alkali, said: “Without second thought, we reject airport concession. And these four airports of Kano, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt are the hubs of Nigerian aviation that sustain the other 18.”
Alkali who is also the spokesman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Kano, claimed the concession involved selling terminals, car parks and toll gates which generate over 65% of the aviation sector revenue.
Chairman of ATSSSAN (Kano), Oyewole Olayade, said, “Our stand has always been transparency. As critical stakeholders, we are supposed to be carried along in whatever government wants to do concerning concession.”
Responding, the Director, Public Affairs in the Ministry of Aviation, Mr. James Odaudu, said: “Concession is a policy of government designed in the interest of 200 million Nigerians and will not be truncated for some selfish reasons.”
Odaudu said the present administration involved the labour unions in the concession process. “The Labour leaders met with the minister about two weeks ago where, for the umpteenth time he assured them that rather than lead to job losses, the concession will create more revenue for FAAN, with less maintenance responsibilities.”
The spokesman also said it was not the responsibility of the unions to determine whether due process has been followed. “That is why the government set up the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) that has regulated the process so far.”
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