Aviation Unions begin protest to halt demolition of FAAN, NAMA Lagos buildings

Aviation Unions begin protest to halt demolition of FAAN, NAMA Lagos buildings

Major aviation unions, including the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) on Thursday embarked on a peaceful protest to stop the planned demolition of the headquarters annexes of some aviation agencies.

The agencies involved include the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had recently hinted at the demolition of the offices for the planned Aerotropolis (Airport City), one of the projects under the aviation roadmap.

This is barely seven months after demolishing the headquarters of the N5 billion Accident Investigation Bureau – Nigeria at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) for an apron extension at the new MMIA terminal.

Although the apron is yet to be extended, hindering wide-bodied aircraft from landing at the terminal, AIB has been in Abuja.

The Minister disclosed that a proposed airport city was designed to link the old airport with the new airport by rail and the government will develop all the areas where FAAN, NAMA, and others currently have their structures.

Speaking on Thursday at the airport, General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Abah Ocheme advised the Hon. Minister of Aviation to put his plan to demolish the Headquarters of FAAN, NAMA, and NCAA in Lagos on hold pending proper evaluation, planning, and better timing.

The NUATE scribe equally called on the Federal Executive Council to halt further approvals on the airport’s concession programme, and indeed any other Aviation Road Map project, pending a comprehensive forensic audit of the projects undertaken up to this point.

Comrade Abah who spoke on behalf of the unions also called on the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), and Civil Society Organisations to mobilize all Nigerian workers and the Nigerian people to join in their effort to rescue “our common patrimony from the grasp of the powers that be in the aviation industry”

“We consider that this plan, in the name of the so-called aerotropolis, is ill-intended, ill-advised, and wrongly timed. We hereby serve notice that any attempt to demolish any of these buildings at this time will be met with immediate action of cessation of work at all airports in Nigeria accompanied by public demonstrations nationwide.

“We call for the urgent review of the Concession of the MMA2 being operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation. The continuation of this concession without a valid agreement with FAAN, and the unending alterations of the concession period by the concessionaire unilaterally without challenge is clear evidence that those in power care little about national interest”.

“Our unions will commence our dissent against the current opaque exercise by declaring operation occupy of the MMA2 in conjunction with the NLC, TUC, and Civil Society”.

“We wish to seize this opportunity to join other aviation stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to condemn in strong terms the intention of the Ministry of Aviation to cede majority shareholding in the national carrier, Nigeria Air, to Ethiopian Airlines. This intention is perplexingly self-defeating and a complete negation of all the objectives earlier canvassed for the setting up of the national carrier. And we have no choice than to call for the outright cancellation of the plan”, he said.

Corroborating Comrade Abah, branch chairman of ATSSSAN, FAAN branch, Comrade Ahmed Danjuma said that nothing of that nature can happen if the government fails to do the right thing.

“We will resist any attempt by any individual to demolish this place”, Danjuma warned.

Former Commandant of the MMIA, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (retd), expressed shock over the plan.

He said the land on the western part of the airport within Shasha, Egbeda, etc that has been encroached upon should have been used for any aerotropolis

It would be recalled that about seven years ago at the sunrise of the Muhammadu Buhari regime, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, came up with what he themed Aviation Road Map.

The projects include the establishment of a national carrier, Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul, aircraft leasing company, agro-allied airports, aerotropolis, and concessions of the four major international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.