BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Aviation unions across the country have called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately cancel the ongoing concession process of airports, describing it as lacking transparency and carried out without the input of critical stakeholders, particularly aviation workers.
Speaking at the Freedom Square of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters in Ikeja during a congress meeting on Wednesday, the union leaders said the process amounted to deception, as workers were deliberately excluded from discussions.
Comrade Ben Nnabue, President of the National Association of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), who addressed the workers, demanded a complete overhaul of the concession plan, urging the government to start the process afresh in a transparent and inclusive manner.
“They should start afresh so that all Nigerians who want to participate in the ownership of airports will have a chance to do so. “And all the airports have to come together, weigh them and know their value”, he said.
Nnabue expressed concern that the unions have been kept in the dark throughout the ongoing concession process and are unaware of the procedures being used.
He stressed the need to resolve all labour-related issues before proceeding further with the concessions, noting that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had already announced he had secured Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval to concession the Enugu airport, despite pending labour demands.
“So, we just want the world to know that before any concession can take effect, labour issues must be discussed and handled,” he said.
He also questioned the legitimacy of the process from inception, saying it has been shrouded in secrecy.
“The airport belongs to Nigerians. It’s a federal government structure or institution. So you cannot, at midnight, decide on who to give the airport to without declaring it open to all Nigerians,” Nnabue stated.
“We are demanding that the government cancel the current concession process and advertise globally to allow all interested parties to bid competitively.”
He also cautioned against cherry-picking airports, pointing out that the valuation of one airport often influences funding and development for others.
“We’ve also stated that cherry-picking is not ideal because the rate value picked from one airport is used to better another,” he added.
Similarly, Comrade Alale Adedayo, President General of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), strongly condemned the process and accused the minister of sidelining unions despite previous assurances of inclusion.
Adedayo called for the reversal of the current concession process, emphasizing the need for public advertisements and stakeholder engagement.
“Let there be advertisements in national dailies for at least six months so that anybody interested can bid, sit around the table with the staff and consider workers’ welfare and labour-related matters,” he said.
“Our members are not part of the committee. They dodged us, pushed us aside, and never called us for any meetings. Before we knew it, they rushed to the FEC and got their approval.”
He reiterated the unions’ exclusion, saying: “We have been sidelined. I’m telling you, we have been sidelined. We only managed to attend two meetings, and even those were by force.”
