Aviation workers at Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State staged a solidarity march on Wednesday to protest an alleged plan by the Federal Government to concession the airport without their input.
The workers, represented by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), carried placards with various messages calling for their inclusion in the concession process.
Razaq Animashaun, Chairman of ATSSSAN, stated that the march aimed to raise awareness about the “secretly proposed concession” of the airport and to make it clear to the government that they have been excluded from the process.
“We are trying to create awareness to let the Federal Government know that we don’t have any stake in what is going on. We are not involved. Our national branch directed us to carry out this congress to enlighten our staff that they should not panic and that they are on top of the game. We are supposed to be involved in any concessions process,” he said.
When asked if the government has made the alleged plans known, Animashaun said that recent visits and activities by the government show that the airport is about to be concessioned.
“We have the documents that requested data for information for this kind of process because if there is no such secret, they will not be asking you how much we have been generating for the past three years, your total number of staff and others,” he said.
Animashaun added that the unions were not against concessions but against any process that lacked transparency and excluded key stakeholders. “If they want to concession the Airport the union should be involved so that we can be able to know where our staff belongs to because we don’t want job losses,” he added.
On his part, the ANAP chairman at the airport, Akagha Emmanuel, wondered why the government was going ahead with the concession plans when the matter was still in court. He stated that they do not have an issue with the planned concession but want to be part of it in the interest of their workers.
“They should carry the union along. We have a case in court already which is caveat emptor. We want them to carry the union along, carry pensioners along, carry the staff along. If you are concessioning the airport we don’t have problems but carry the members along,” Emmanuel said.
“Our major issues are the faith of our staff after concessioning; our staff, are they going to be paid off? How are you going to handle us before and after the concession? Carry union along and concession it,” he added.
Last October, the Federal Government said that five Nigerian airports including the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State; Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu were set for concession.