Aviation workers’ unions have announced plans to shut down airports across Nigeria beginning September 18, citing the Federal Government’s refusal to reverse a 50% revenue deduction from the sector’s internally generated income.
According to The PUNCH, the strike notice was made known through a statement on Thursday and signed by the General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Ocheme Aba, and Deputy General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Frances Akinjole.
The unions warned that critical safety operations within these agencies are already suffering due to the financial pressure caused by the deductions.
“All efforts on our part have failed to convince the Federal Government that these agencies are cost-recovery entities, not profit-making organizations,” the unions said in the statement. “They cannot survive on half their income under any model of administration.”
The unions further emphasized the impact on safety-critical activities. “Information available to us indicates that some important safety activities are grinding to a halt under the weight of these deductions,” they added.
In their warning, the unions stressed that they would not be held responsible if the aviation sector becomes dysfunctional due to the financial constraints.
“We shall bear no responsibility in the event that the industry becomes dysfunctional as a result of financial incapacity due to the deductions at source,” they said.
The unions urged their members nationwide to fully mobilize for peaceful protests and ensure compliance with the strike, which aims to compel the government to reconsider its policy.
The unions, which include the National Union of Air Transport Employees the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and others, issued a strike notice in a joint statement signed by their leaders. These leaders include Ocheme Aba, NUATE General Secretary; Frances Akinjole, ATSSSAN Deputy General Secretary; Abdul Rasaq, Secretary General of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers and Sikiru Waheed, General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees.
The unions have been calling for the reversal of the government policy that increased deductions from aviation agencies’ revenues. Initially set at 25% in October 2022, the deductions rose to 40% before President Bola
Tinubu raised them to 50% in January 2024. Affected agencies include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Nigerian Meteorological Agency and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
