Foremost labour leader and Secretary General of Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), AbdulRazaq Seidu has warned that failure to address aviation workers gratuity, entitlement and pension in full details before any form of concession is carried out will spell disaster for the country and the aviation industry.
The federal government has said the concession of the country’s airports remain the best alternative to allow for investment in critical infrastructure in the industry.
Seidu advised the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) to be wary of persons currently urging him to go ahead with the concessioning of the airports without reaching agreements with the workers whom he said with be negatively affected.
He said the workers are apprehensive of losing their jobs hence the apathy by majority of the staff especially those from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The ANAP scribe said “we must understand that issues surrounding the concession of our airports has been going on for a long time now, it has been tabled at the House of Representative and the floor of the Senate and we told them at different time that concessioning the country’s airports is not in the interest of the country, it is a security risk, it will expose the country to external aggression.”
He said “the process must be transparent, that was the war we fought with the former minister, Hadi Sirika who was following the due process until the last stage when the issue of Ethiopia airline came up”
Keyamo must not deviate from the right course; he shouldn’t make the mistake Sirika made by setting up a lot of things that has no bearing on the issues at hand.”
