Activities in the Nigerian aviation industry may come to a halt as labour unions in the sector across the country are set to embark on a peaceful protest on Wednesday, September 18, to press home their demand for an end to the deduction of 50 per cent from the internally generated revenue (IGR) of various agencies in the industry.
The affected agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
In a statement signed by the General Secretaries of the unions, the protest which will take place at all airports nationwide, is a response to the failure of the Federal Government to exempt these agencies from the deductions.
According to the unions, the aviation agencies are cost-recovery organisations and not profit-making entities and as such, they cannot survive on half of their incomes. They claimed that some critical safety activities in the agencies are already grinding to a halt due to the deductions, which have been ongoing since the end of August 2024.
The scribes of the unions stated that they had given the Minister of Aviation an ultimatum, which had expired, and are now warning that they will not be held responsible if the industry becomes dysfunctional due to financial incapacity. The scribes added that all state councils, women commissions, youth councils, and branches nationwide are on red alert to mobilise their members and ensure the protest’s success.
In a latest development, the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said all its members would be joining in the protest earlier declared by the aviation unions. NATCA National President, Abayomi Agoro in statement, said that its association demands immediate exemption of agencies from 50 per cent IGR deduction.
“NATCA representing the collective interests of all Air Traffic Control professionals in Nigeria, wishes to draw urgent attention to the Federal Government ongoing 50 per cent deduction from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of aviation agencies. This policy is severely undermining the safety and efficiency of Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“We want to place it on record that the safety-critical activities of the entire aviation sector are slowly grinding to a halt, reaching levels that are unacceptable. The agencies within the sector are financially constrained, rendering the sector dysfunctional. This alarming situation, if left unaddressed, poses significant risks to the safety and operational effectiveness of Nigerian airspace,” the statement read.
Agoro further stated that NATCA will not assume responsibility should a strain on the sector’s safety and operational needs result in any critical incident or accident. He added that the continued financial constraints imposed by these deductions are compromising its ability to deliver safe, efficient air traffic control services.
“Considering these developments, NATCA’s Council, by this press release, places all Air Traffic Controllers on notice that our mother union has directed a nationwide protest Effective from “0000 hours on the 18th of September 2024”, all controllers are to comply with the instructions from our mother union until further notice.
