Aviation workers’ unions have announced plans to hold a peaceful protest on September 18, 2024.
The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Ocheme Aba, and the Deputy General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Frances Akinjole, revealed this in a joint statement.
Other unions endorsing the protest include the Secretary General of ANAP, Abdul Rasaq; the General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Olayinka Abioye; and the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Sikiru Waheed.
The unions attributed their decision to the Federal Government’s refusal to reverse a 50% deduction policy from the internally generated revenue (IGR) of aviation agencies.
“All workers of the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NiMet, NCAT, and NSIB, in solidarity with all aviation workers, are hereby directed to stage peaceful protests at all airports nationwide on September 18, 2024, to demand an exemption from the 50% revenue deduction,” the statement said.
The unions explained that despite their efforts, they have been unable to convince the government that these agencies are cost-recovery organizations, not profit-making entities. They argue that these agencies cannot sustain operations on half of their revenues. The unions noted that their ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation expired at the end of August 2024.
The affected agencies include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
The unions’ protest follows the government’s escalation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy. Initially, the policy deducted 25% from the revenues of government agencies in October 2022, then increased to 40%. However, in January 2024, the current administration raised the deduction to 50%.