AVIATION UNIONS IN THE FEDERAL AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF NIGERIA STRONGLY OPPOSE THE FG’s ALLEGED MOVE TO CONCESSION KEY AIRPORTS 25-02-25
By Sadiq Aminu Aviation unions in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, have strongly opposed the federal government’s alleged move to concession key airports without their involvement.
The national Presidents of the unions, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), voiced their concerns at a congress held at the FAAN Freedom Square in Lagos.
The congress, marked by worker protests, carrying of placards with different Inscriptions, saw all FAAN offices and gates locked, preventing entry.
Attempts by the human resource director to access the premises were rebuffed by the aggrieved unions.
Speaking at the gathering, NUATE President, Comrade Ben Nnabue, expressed shock over the emergence of concession documents from the Ministry of Aviation, despite earlier assurances from the minister that no such plans were in motion.
He accused the government of pushing forward with airport concessions through non-transparent means, bypassing key stakeholders, including aviation workers.
Comrade Nnabue pointed out that the circulated documents contained conflicting terms, with a “Full Business Case” proposing a 50-year concession period, while the agreement itself indicated an 80-year term.
Nnabue questioned, “Are they buying the land or simply managing it? I have never seen a concession agreement for 80 years”.
He further criticized the ministry for failing to consult unions on critical labour matters, despite earlier assurances from the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, that all labour-related issues would be discussed before any concession agreements were finalized.
Echoing these sentiments, ANAP President, Comrade Adedayo Alale, revealed that the concessioning process for Enugu Airport was nearly complete, while similar plans for Port Harcourt and Kano airports were in progress.
He reiterated that labour issues must be settled before any agreements are signed.
Also speaking, ATSSSAN’s 3rd National President, Comrade John Ogbe, emphasized that the unions were not against concessioning in principle but opposed any process that lacked transparency and excluded key stakeholders.
He noted that during previous concession attempts, unions had the opportunity to review the Outline Business Case, whereas the current approach appears to rely on unsolicited documents without worker input.
At the conclusion of the congress, the unions issued a series of demands, they insisted that the government must implement the consequential adjustments of the new minimum wage by next month.
They called for the resolution of all pending Conditions of Service issues within the next two months, with necessary approvals granted and demanded that any concession process be conducted transparently, ensuring full consultation with aviation workers.
The unions warned that failure to address these concerns could lead to further industrial action, signaling potential disruptions in the aviation sector.