Aviation workers protest airport concession in Kano

The workers, who converged on the premises of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and chanted solidarity songs, displayed placards with messages like, “airport concession is 419 and inhuman”, “federal government save our souls. Mr President, stop the policy of airport concessioning”, “no to sale of airport fire service,” and many others. Deputy Secretary […]

The workers, who converged on the premises of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and chanted solidarity songs, displayed placards with messages like, “airport concession is 419 and inhuman”, “federal government save our souls. Mr President, stop the policy of airport concessioning”, “no to sale of airport fire service,” and many others.

Deputy Secretary General of NUATE, Peter A. Ogaba said the decision of government to “concession four of the nation’s airports (Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja) were not in the interest of the country”, pointing that it was a means of massaging the ego of a handful of connected individuals.

According to the union leader, “no individual is allowed to manage airports anywhere in the world. He said being that they are the gateway into the nation, airports have security needs that only government could meet. He added that aviation regulatory bodies all over the world didn’t allow individuals to manage airports.

He described the policy as not in the best interest of the country, adding that it would not augur well for her economic development. He said they would continue to mount pressure on the federal government until they were heard out. He warned that should government fail to listen to them, they “will shut the airspace in the country.”

The union leader then called on the leadership in the North to rise to the occasion and make sure that the region was  not further deprived of economic development through concessioning of MAKIA airport in Kano, decrying the situation where “nobody is utilizing” the airport and ten others in the region.

On his part, the Secretary of the Kano State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Aminu Suleman, who attended the protest in solidarity with the aviation workers, said airports concession was another form of colonization and slavery, which must be resisted. The NLC scribe, assured the aviation workers of NLC’s total support to ensure that the policy was fought to standstill.

The aviation union was asking President Yar’adua to, among other things, revoke the concession agreement it entered with Bi-Courtney Ltd on Murtala Mohammed Airport 2, stop concessioning of airport aviation fire services to private companies, float a new national airline for development of the industry and to immediately appoint a new minister of aviation who has a background in the profession.

The Kano protest “has nothing to do with labour issues”, the transport employees asserted, even though Ogab said, the union had packaged catalogue of workers’ demands which it would forward to government subsequently.

The members promised to take the campaign to Kano State Emirate Council and other meaningful individuals in the society and also resolved to fast for three days starting from next week ,“to seek God’s intervention” in their plight, they said.

Similar protest will be held in Port Harcourt next week, to be followed by Kaduna, Maiduguri and Yola, according to NUATE.