The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has intervened as the unions in the industry have declared a peaceful protest on Wednesday next week to demand an end to the deduction of 50 per cent from the internally generated revenue (IGR) of various agencies in the industry.
Secretaries general of the five aviation unions said the protest, which would take place at all airports nationwide, was in response to the failure of the federal government to exempt aviation agencies from the deductions.
The affected agencies include the Nigeria 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).
Daily Trust reports that the agitation to exempt aviation agencies from the list of agencies remitting 50 per cent of their earnings to the federal government’s treasury single account (TSA) has continued since the deduction was 25 per cent.
The unions in their letter insisted that aviation agencies are cost-recovery organisations and not profit-making entities and as such, they could not survive on half of their incomes.
The unions claimed that some safety critical activities in the agencies were already grinding to a halt due to the deductions.
The unions have called on all state councils, women commissions, youth councils and branches nationwide to mobilise and ensure the success of the protest while further actions would be decided and communicated if the protest did not achieve the desired result.
Meanwhile, Keyamo has scheduled a meeting with the unions to discuss the issues at hand and allow President Bola Tinubu sufficient time to intervene and address the unions’ concerns comprehensively.
In a statement, he said, “We understand the strain this has placed on the sector’s ability to address critical safety and operational needs, and we take these concerns very seriously.
“In response to the concerns, the ministry has scheduled a meeting with the leadership of the unions on September 17, 2024.”
Keyamo further appealed to the unions to reconsider their planned peaceful protest on September 18, 2024, and allow for dialogue to take place.
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