Unions in the aviation industry have accused the minister of aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika of under-the-table dealings in the concession of four international airports.
At a press conference held within the precincts of the Federal Airports of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday, the unions comprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) were particularly piqued by how the minister obtained the compliance certificate from Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
It would be recalled that Sirika had recently advertised the document issued him by the ICRC which confirmed that he complied with all needed requirements to go ahead with the concession the international airports Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
He is expected to proceed to seek the approval of the federal executive council (FEC) for his proposed Outline Business Case (OBC) for the concession programme.
Speaking on behalf of the unions, the general secretary of NUATE, Mr. Ocheme Abba said the manner Sirika handled the certificate of compliance issue as a ruse issue adding that the minister was not exhibiting altruistic conduct.
He said the minister had sidelined the committee set up by the federal government to consider the matter.
Aba alleged that while the Project Delivery Team (PDT) which includes the ICRC was still discussing the issue of Transaction Adviser (TA), the minister went on air announcing the approval of FEC of a TA and his fees.
Both the TA and the fees he reiterated were apparently decided solely by the minister adding that the PDT had not been allowed to take a position on the matter.
“While the Project Delivery Team (PDT) – which includes the ICRC – was still discussing the issue of Transaction Adviser (TA), the minister of aviation was on air announcing the approval of FEC of a TA and his fees. Both the TA and the fees were apparently decided solely by the Minister. Up till date, the PDT has not been allowed to take a position on the matter, its effort in that direction being frustrated.”
“Unfortunately, the minister of aviation completely side-stepped the team and has gone ahead with his own programmes as determined by himself alone. Our unions have decided that we shall have to review our membership of the PDT if this type of public deceit and shenanigan continue.”
“Based on the above, we hereby alert President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the National Assembly and the general public not to be deceived by the celebrated certificate of compliance from the ICRC and not to approve the privately assembled outline business case. This outline, for reasons stated, cannot be detached from individual embedded interests and may be a self-favouring trap,” he said.
Consequently, he said the unions had decided that they shall review their membership of the PDT “if this type of public deceit and shenanigan continue.”
He said at the last meeting of the PDT late 2019, it was decided that the airport concession issue be degraded to the bottom of the list of aviation priority projects while upgrading the national carrier, aviation leasing company and the aircraft maintenance repair overhaul for quick delivery.
In addition, he said the ICRC was requested to provide the required components for the OBCs for the upgraded projects which the commission promised to provide at the meeting.
Aba who said the next meeting was yet to be called wondered how the same ICRC issued a certificate of compliance to the minister for the outline business case for concession of four international airports.
“As far as we know, the Transaction Adviser has yet as at date, not submitted the report of the scope of the Transaction to the Project Delivery Team. This raises the big question as to what is really being concessioned at those airports.
“The whole airport or are we to believe that only terminals will be concessioned? Or facilities within the terminals? No one knows, except the honorable minister of aviation. And this draws attention to the opaque nature of the concession conjecture,” he said.
“While the Project Delivery Team (PDT) – which includes the ICRC – was still discussing the issue of Transaction Adviser (TA), the minister of aviation was on air announcing the approval of FEC of a TA and his fees. Both the TA and the fees were apparently decided solely by the Minister. Up till date, the PDT has not been allowed to take a position on the matter, its effort in that direction being frustrated,” Aba added.
The unions further said the fact the concession programmed is directly carried out by the minister of aviation is a serious concern as he does not run any airport nor does the FAAN Act grant him any power to superintend over the concession of FAAN assets.
Hence, they accused Sirika of usurping the responsibilities and powers of the governing board of the agency thus giving credence as to why he refused to constitute it.
“The honorable minister has completely usurped the functions of the management and the Governing Board of the Authority. As such he has unlawfully arrogated to himself the powers to enter into agreements in the place of FAAN. This is to the extent that there is now no difference between the ministry of aviation and the FAAN. This is a serious infraction; a travesty and an anomaly.”
“As can be clearly seen from the foregoing, the planned concession of the only four revenue generating airports of FAAN is an ill wind of which the only beneficiary is the source of the wind. As such, our Unions come against the exercise and will resist it with our strongest stance. We are compelled to act so in recognition of our corporate citizenship and our sacred responsibility to the general public and fellow Nigerians to safeguard our common patrimony.”
The unions said they were planning a nationwide protest against the opaque transaction.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our unions with all aviation workers, particularly FAAN workers and pensioners, will not co-operate with the concession programme of the honorable minister of aviation and will use every resource at our disposal to ensure that the machinations of the few against public interest ends here.
“The concession of Nigerian airports in the opaque manner prescribed by the honorable minister of aviation must be denied daylight so as to suffer perpetual darkness.
“We shall soon publish our itinerary of public nationwide protests against this unsavory machination. These protests shall last as long as the idea to concession Nigerian airports remains alive.
“In furtherance of the objective, we have sought the support of the Nigeria Labour Congress (Trade Union Congress) and United Labour Congress (ULC) for the purpose of escalating the processes of engagement and protests. Never again, with the unfortunate mistake of selling of national assets to government officials and their cronies as happened in the electricity sector, shall we allow such to happen in Nigeria. Never again!”
