A crisis is currently brewing within the aviation industry over the Federal Government’s airport concession plans through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
For more effective management, the government had agreed to concession at least four airports controlled by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to private investors. The moves did not receive the support of workers, who feared that their jobs would be at risk and their interests might not be safeguarded under the agreement.
Last year, the Federal Executive Council approved the concession of the Enugu Airport to private investors for more efficient management and improved service delivery.
And last week, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signed the agreement document for the airport’s concession.
This development has since sparked pushback from workers.
Keyamo described the signing as the conclusion of a “painstaking and tedious process” that had lasted several years, involving negotiations, due diligence, and consultations with key stakeholders, including aviation unions.
He assured that the agreement prioritised the welfare of workers at the airport, amid persistent concerns from aviation unions over job losses arising from concession exercises, stressing that aviation workers at the Enugu airport would retain their status as federal employees.
However, the ministry was silent on the tenure of the concession, raising concerns from unions and some industry experts.
Enugu airport was among the five remodelled aerodromes by the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah. The project was executed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, with a $500m loan secured from China Exim Bank and $100m counterpart funding provided by the Federal Government. Other airports under the project included Lagos, Abuja, and Kano.
Following disagreements over the concession plans, the leadership of aviation unions such as the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria, the National Union of Air Transport Employees, and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals had scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday. However, The PUNCH learnt that the leaders shunned the meeting.
Inside sources familiar with the development also told The PUNCH that union leaders had finalised plans to deliver a letter to the minister communicating their rejection of the concession moves on the grounds of failure to follow due process. Barring any last-minute change, the letter is expected to be delivered today.
One of the union leaders, who did not want his name in print for fear of being victimised, alleged that the concessioning of the airport did not follow due process and that the unions were already gearing up for possible action.
A source among the general secretaries confided in our correspondent that the presidents of each union, who represented workers on the Enugu Airport Concession Committee, were not legally recognised to undertake such a task.
According to him, the law requires that all correspondence must go through the secretariat, lamenting that the general secretaries were kept in the dark throughout the negotiations.
When contacted, ATTSSAN President John Ogbe, who had earlier requested that our correspondent wait until the Monday meeting, said the union’s position would be made public at 1:00 pm Monday. “Don’t worry, we will make our position known by 1:00 pm today.”
Follow-up calls and text messages sent to the union leader to get the position were neither picked up nor returned.
Also contacted, the Secretary of ATTSSAN, Frances Akinjole, asked the correspondent to wait until their letter is sent to the minister on Tuesday. “Why not just wait till tomorrow? We are writing a letter to the minister tomorrow. Please just wait, I am busy preparing for it now,” she said.
