Presidential Waiver to Airlines Sparks Backlash from Union Leader

….. Says airlines are debtors

The General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu 

The recent grant of 30% debt relief to airlines in the country by President Tinubu has been condemned by a frontline labour leader in the country’s aviation industry accusing the airlines of violating the remittance Act

Reacting to the debt relief, the General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu, accused domestic airlines of non-remittance of 5% passenger ticket sales charge collected from travelling passengers on behalf of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority but failed to remit to the agency.

Saidu said it is criminal to hold on to the fund haven collected from passengers saying that the union will never support any waiver that all money being fraudulently owed to NCAA from the 5% must be paid

“Aviation Workers shall protest and resist any waiver of public funds to any Airline. How should the money of 5% of tickets sold by Airlines which should be remitted to NCAA but criminally did not remit, be considered a violation of the Act”

According to the ANAP Secretary, private airlines owing government agencies and being granted debt relief will eventually lead to the collapse of agencies in the aviation sector saying that, 50 per cent of revenue generated by these agencies was being deducted without the federal government granting them subventions

Comrade Saidu declares, “The Airlines that are owing huge amounts have enjoyed services provided by NCAA, NAMA, FAAN and others, shall be made to pay and not waivers because it is public funds of 5% paid by passengers through the airlines for government agencies”

He described the whole process of the debt grant as an act of corruption, conspiracy and double standard adding that President Tinubu was ill-advised about the real state of agencies in the aviation sector.

Saidu noted that these agencies were struggling to pay salaries, maintain and purchase equipment with the little funds available yet the airlines were being granted relief

The ANAP secretary challenged the minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Mr Festus Keyamo, to explain in clear terms areas where the airlines were granted relief.

It will be recalled that last week, airline operators threatened to withdraw their aircraft from the sky as a result of the increasingly high cost of operations especially aviation fuel.