Unions in the aviation industry have jointly declared their intent to hold a nationwide protest on September 18, in response to the Federal Government’s controversial policy of deducting 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the aviation agencies.
The aggrieved unions insist that the practice has crippled critical operations and undermined safety measures across the sector.
The unions spearheading the protest include the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Practitioners (ANAP), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).
In a detailed joint statement released on Thursday, the union leaders—Ocheme Aba (NUATE), Abdul Rasaq Saidu (ANAP), Francis Akinjole (ATSSSAN), Olayinka Abioye (NAAPE), and Sikiru Waheed (AUPCTRE); unanimously decried the government’s actions, calling for an immediate discontinuation of the revenue deductions. They argued that such a policy, if left unaddressed, would not only cripple aviation agencies but also imperil the safety and efficiency of Nigeria’s entire aviation system. According to the unions, the Federal Government’s 50 per cent deduction of IGR from agencies such as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is threatening the very fabric of the aviation industry.
The unions highlighted that these agencies are primarily designed as cost-recovery entities and not profit-making organizations. Unlike private companies, aviation agencies rely on the revenue they generate to maintain critical infrastructure, support safety operations, and fund essential services. The unions emphasised that reducing their revenue by half has left these agencies incapable of fulfilling their obligations, particularly in areas related to safety and air traffic management.
They also stated that all efforts on their part to convince the Federal Government to stop the deductions as agencies are cost recovery and not profit-making organisations, have failed.
They stressed that the agencies cannot survive on half of their incomes under the model of administration or any other guise whatsoever.
“All workers of the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NiMet, NCAT and NSIB, are hereby directed to embark on peaceful protests at all airports nationwide on 18th September 2024 to demand the discontinuation of deduction of 50% from the internally generated revenue of the agencies mentioned above through an exemption.
“All efforts on our part have failed to impress it upon the Federal Government that all the Agencies are cost recovery, and not profit making, organizations. As such they cannot survive on half of their incomes under any model of administration, or any other guise whatsoever. The ultimatum given to the Minister of Aviation on the same issue expired in August, 2024,” the uinons said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has assured all stakeholders that President Bola Tinubu was actively reviewing the unions’ concerns. To address these issues directly, a meeting has been scheduled with union leaders on September 17, 2024. The meeting aims to facilitate open dialogue and provide President Tinubu with the opportunity to address the unions’ concerns comprehensively.
In light of these developments, the Minister appealed to the unions to reconsider their planned protest and allow for constructive discussions.
The government believes that through collaborative engagement, a mutually beneficial solution can be achieved, securing the sector’s future and operational stability.