Aviation unions have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cancel the ongoing airport concession process, describing it as flawed, secretive, and unfair to workers.
At a workers’ congress held at the Freedom Square of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, union leaders accused the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development of sidelining labour and rushing the process without transparency.
Comrade Ben Nnabue, President of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), said the current concession plan lacked due process and must be restarted.
“They should start afresh so all Nigerians can participate in a fair and open bidding process,” he said. “We don’t know how the bidders were selected, and labour issues haven’t been addressed.”
He criticised the recent approval of the concession of Enugu Airport by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), saying it was done without resolving outstanding labour matters.
“Before any concession can happen, labour demands must be settled. The airport belongs to all Nigerians. You can’t give it away behind closed doors,” Nnabue stated.
Also speaking, Comrade Alale Adedayo, President-General of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), said the unions had been excluded from the process despite earlier promises by the Minister of Aviation.
“We’ve been sidelined. We attended only two meetings, and those were barely formal,” he said. “There was no national advert, no public bidding. Everything was done in secrecy.”
The unions also rejected the selective concession of profitable airports, calling for a comprehensive evaluation of all airports to ensure fairness.
They demanded the immediate cancellation of the current concession plans, a transparent global bidding process, and proper engagement with all labour stakeholders.
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