Nigeria aviation workers’ unions set date for nationwide protest, plan to disrupt airport operations
In a unified move, employees from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) are planning peaceful protests at airports nationwide.
Scheduled for Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the protests aim to challenge the 50% deduction from the agencies’ internally generated revenue, a policy the workers claim undermines their operational efficiency and financial stability.
The joint statement, released on Wednesday and signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba (General Secretary of NUATE), Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu (Secretary General of ANAP), Comrade Sikiru Waheed (General Secretary of AUPCTRE), Comrade Frances Akinjole (Deputy General Secretary of ATSSSAN), and Comrade Olayinka Abioye (General Secretary of NAAPE), warns that the protests will disrupt airport operations across the country as workers express their dissatisfaction and seek a reversal of the policy.
The statement reads, “All workers of the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NiMet, NCAT, and NSIB, supported by all aviation workers, are directed to conduct peaceful protests at all airports nationwide on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, to demand the cessation of the 50% deduction from these agencies’ internally generated revenues. Despite our efforts, we have been unable to convince the Federal Government that these agencies are cost-recovery entities and not profit-driven. They cannot sustain operations on just half of their income under any administrative model.”
The unions also noted that crucial safety activities are being disrupted due to the financial strain caused by the deductions.
“It is essential for us, as trade unions and aviation workers, to inform the public and government that we will not be held responsible if the industry faces dysfunction due to financial constraints from these deductions,” the statement adds.
The unions have called on all State Councils, Women Commissions/Committees, Youth Councils, and Branches to mobilize fully and ensure the success of the peaceful protests.
