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Labour Unions vow to resist demolition of office buildings in Lagos by Aviation Minister

Aggrieved Aviation union’s workers in Lagos protest planned office building demolition.

Unions in the aviation industry have called on the Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika to rescind the decision to demolish the aviation agency offices and staff quarters in Lagos to pave the way for the airport city project called aerotropolis.

The unions made the call during a peaceful protest in Lagos, chanting solidarity songs, displayed placards with different inscriptions such as: Demolition of FAAN Headquarters annex fraudulent, Build FAAN Corporate HQ in Abuja, Planned demolition is fraudulent amongst others.

Speaking before embarking on the protest match, the Deputy General Secretary, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Comrade Frances Akinjole said, the unions are not averse to the relocation policy but there must be provision for offices, adequate accommodation and full payment of staff relocation allowance.

He emphasized that, until such demands were met the unions will resist all attempts by the minister to demolish the headquarters of aviation offices annex and staff quarters in Lagos.

“If you want to relocate, you don’t have to make a mess of the people you are relocating, both where they are going to perform their official duties and where they are going to perform their personal duties, homes, if you relocate me do you expect me to leave my wife and my children behind?”.

Secretary General, Association of Aviation Professionals, ANAP, comrade Abdulrazak Saidu said, many staff of the National Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB are working from home after the demolition of their offices in Lagos for runway expansion and up till today nothing had been done.

According to him, those who were relocated to Abuja are yet to secure accommodation, paid relocation allowance and a conducive office space.

“You must provide a good working environment for the workers. I have been to Abuja, have seen how the staff of NAMA are lumped together and there is no place called the headquarters of FAAN”.

Other union leaders who spoke said, Lagos was never part of the aerotropolis project, adding that, Lagos as the hub of aviation agencies deserves to have offices here.

Comrade Ayeoba Kemi, 2nd Vice President, NUATE says, “We would continue to talk, raise our voice to indecision that is termed at punishing us in the aviation industry”.

“We in the union, we have made up our mind that we are not going to take it because the end of the day our members will suffer”…comrade Safiya Araga, National Treasurer, NUATE.

While Comrade John Ogbe stressed that, “But as unions, we are standing and operating by the Conditions of service of organizations, you can be transferred, you can be relocated and the right things must be done”.

The protesting unions include, the branch unions of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, ANAP, National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.

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