Aviation
Aviation Unions Set For Industrial Action
Unions in the aviation industry are set for an industrial action with the Federal Government to press home their demand for the termination of some concession agreements at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), had made frantic efforts through the various tiers of government for the cancellation of the agreement but to no avail.
The union at a meeting with workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) decided to declare a show down with the Federal Government for failure to acede to their request that it should cancel the contract agreement between Maevis Nigeria Limited and FAAN.
According to ATSSSAN, it is compelled by recent development to take this course of action in the interest of the Nigerian people.
In a statement, the General-Secretary, Frank Sunny Aiyede said: “it is important that we place on record unequivocally that we are not in any way being used by anyone or group whatever to disrupt the ongoing democratic process but only doing the biddings of the organisation and the nation at large”.
Aiyede alleged that Maevis Nigeria Limited is the only body ‘influencing’ ATSSSAN by way of intimidation, blackmail, utterances and manipulations to create confusion and divert the workers’ attention from the main issue.
Maevis a concessionaire whose responsibility is to collect aeronautical and non-aeronautical charges which include landing and parking charges, passengers services charge and other charges.
FAAN had alleged that Maevis owes it billions of naira while Maevis insisted that it does not.
Meanwhile, Air Nigeria Airline has introduced an exciting advance purchase fare of N6,000 which is available to passengers traveling between Abuja and Kano, Lagos and Owerri as well as Lagos and Benin routes.
According to a statement, with the introduction of the offer, passengers traveling on the selected routes would be able to fly for as low as N6,000 when they make advanced bookings, online or at any Air Nigeria sales office, at least 14 days before intended date of travel.
The statement added that the introduction of the special fare is part of Air Nigeria’s commitment to making air travel affordable, saying that Air Nigeria is continuously in search of new avenues to offer various forms of incentives to promote seamless travel options in Nigeria, especially as air travel remains the fastest and safest way to travel across the world.
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Aviation Professionals Want Agencies Boards’ Inauguration
As a measure to curb corruption and restore accountability, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), has called on the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to push for the urgent formation and inauguration of governing boards for all other aviation agencies.
ANAP’s Secretary General, AbdulRasaq Saidu, made this call at the weekend when interacting with aviation correspondents, in reaction to recent inauguration of Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Keyamo had recently inaugurated the FAAN board, more than six months after its members were appointed by President Bola Tinubu, where Dr. Umar Ganduje was named Board Chairman, with FAAN’s Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, as the Vice Chairman.
Other board members include representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Defence, Tourism, and Aviation, as well as professionals from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, and FAAN’s legal department.
The ANAP scribe there urged the aviation Minister not to stop at FAAN but to ensure that all aviation parastatals are given functional boards to restore order and credibility to the sector.
He, however, commended Keyamo for recently inaugurating the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria but stressed that more needed to be done.
Saidu also warned that the continued delay in constituting boards for other aviation agencies creates room for unchecked abuses, including illegal contracts, fraudulent employment practices, and mismanagement.
“The absence of governing boards violates the enabling Acts that established these agencies. Only properly constituted boards can enforce discipline, ensure due process in decision-making, and provide oversight to prevent corruption”, Saidu said.
He emphasised that the aviation unions, including ANAP, have consistently raised concerns about poor governance and lack of transparency within the aviation system.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to act swiftly by appointing board members for all relevant agencies, in the interest of fairness and aviation safety.
Saidu also tackled the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, for failing to inaugurate any boards during his eight-year tenure, despite appointments being made by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“ANAP raised the alarm several times under Sirika’s leadership, but nothing changed. That lapse has continued under the current administration, and it must be addressed now”, Saidu stated.
By: Corlins Walter
