Aviation unions take over of MMIA access gate: FAAN assures of lasting solution to imbroglio
The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN has assured of its resolve to find a lasting solution to the I-Cube West Africa Limited and aviation unions imbroglio over the management of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport access gate .
The management of FAAN in a statement signed by the general manager, corporate affairs, Henrietta Yakubu (Mrs.) said the authority is working to address the matter.
It will be recalled that following the expiration of the contract agreement to manage the Murtala Muhammed International Airport access gate between FAAN and I-Cube West Africa Limited, officers of the various aviation unions like the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and National Union of Pensioners (NUP) took over the management of the access gate.
The unions dislodged the concessionaire and took over the facility unilaterally at about 7am on Monday February 3, 2019.
The workers in their hundreds under the supervision of the four aviation unions besieged the access gate as early as 7 am Monday and took over the control of ticketing points from ICUBE managers.
The workers after dislodging ICUBE staff, drafted staff of the commercial department to man the gates.
Speaking to journalists, one of the union leaders Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, the general secretary of Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) who supervised the take over, said the management of access gate remained the sole responsibility of commercial department of FAAN, adding that politicians have messed up the system through illegal concession of revenue points at the airports
Saidu said concession of the access gate was fraudulent without a review of the contract for more than five years now, adding that the traffic of the route has greatly increased since the last exercise was carried out
Saidu alleged that some individuals in FAAN and the aviation ministry have compromised over the access gate saying that government was loosing revenue from there.
Saidu explained that following series of meetings held with the aviation minister, FAAN boss at different occasions, it was made known to them that workers were going to take over the access gate and run it by FAAN commercial department to raise its revenue.
Also speaking, the deputy national president of NUATE, Comrade Sarah Rimdams said workers came to recover back their revenue points to government as the contract with ICUBE expired last February.
Rimdams said the company has been remitting N68m monthly but there was need for upward review of the contract, adding that commercial department of FAAN has taken over and will ensure that they exceeded the N68m being remitted monthly by ICUBE
She disclosed that the access gate was being test run by FAAN to actually know how much can be generated monthly saying that it will definitely be more the amount being remitted by the concessionsure.
Reacting to the take over, the manager of Integrated Intelligent Imaging West Africa (ICUBE) Mr Toluwaleke Abajingin told journalists that he was surprised to see workers and unions taking over the access gate in the early hours of Monday.
Mr Abajingin said the case was in court between one Rosepine Integrated limited, FAAN and ICUBE adding that as a responsible organisation, ICUBE staff did not resist.
He said ICUBE has been paying FAAN up to date saying that they were never informed about any upward review of the contract or otherwise.
Abajingin said there was a first right of refusal saying that FAAN has not communicated to ICUBE on the agreement
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