Unions protest against concessions of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, PH

‘Sirika our airports are not for sale’,’Airport concessions will lead to national security breaches’,’Airport concession is economic terrorism’, our airports cannot be sold in bits’, these are some of the placards mounted by unions in the aviation subsection this morning as they protested federal government’s planned concession of the four major airports.
Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the National Union of Pensioners (NUP) were among some of the unions that took to the four major airports in the country earmarked by concession.
This protest is coming barely days after the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika assured that the concession would follow a framework and would not go against national interest in anyway.
The unions who have vehemently kicked against the concession as proposed by government, are of the opinion that government should not concession the honey pots and leave the chafes.
According to them, interested concessionaires should be negotiating on the nation’s non viable airports stating that the viable once have supported the unviable over the years.
A unionist who spoke to nigerianflightdeck.com stated that,” A cartel in government is interested in buying the four (4) viable airports but we are fully mobilized to resist any such move to displace FAAN workers either in part or whole in the name of airport concession.”
Already the unions claim that the protest is simultaneously ongoing at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano and Port Harcourt Airport with the aim to drive their point home.
Workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) trooped out enmasse to join their various unions leaving offices under lock and key as this matter affects them directly due to the massive loss of job expected from the concession