There was a heavy presence of security operatives on ground the Murtala Muhammed Airport on Tuesday, the second day warning strike embarked upon by the unions and aviation workers to press home the various demands they put forward to the government which were not met.
The security officials who were drafted to the airport to forestall any breakdown of law and order include the police, SSS, Air Force. There was however no confrontation between them and the unions.
The warning which started yesterday, Monday, April 17, 2023 with unions blocking all major access roads to the airport particularly the local axis, paralyzed major activities which subjected many air travelers especially the domestic passengers and other airport users to untoward hardships as the action was concentrated on the local airport.
The union however changed their strategy as they marched from the local airport to the international part of the airport singing solidarity songs and warning the government to call to order the minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, against going ahead with his plan to demolish the Lagos offices of the aviation agencies and the need for the government to settle all lingering workers salary structures.
The unions assembled all the workers together in front of the new terminal at the international airport where they addressed the workers.
Whist the protest lasted, there was no disruption of flights as aircraft were allowed to take off and land seamlessly.
While the offices of the various agencies remained padlocked by the unions for the second day running, leaders of the unions who spoke at the international airport vowed to totally ground all flight operations including international and local operations throughout the country if seven days after the two warning day strikes government fails to address the enumerated problems.
While the unions continued with the protest, the heavy presence of security operatives who were armed to the teeth however did not deter the unions and the aviation workers who said they were protesting to secure the national heritage from a few greedy cabals.
Speaking to journalists, the Secretary General of one of unions, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrazaq Saidu expressed disappointment that throughout the eight years of the present minister nothing has been done to ensure the conditions of service of workers are upgraded.
He took a swipe at the minister for planning to demolish the offices of the aviation agencies in Lagos in less than one month remaining for him to leave office.
His words: “For 8 years, conditions of service were not implemented. Sirika usurp the functions of the Governing boards there is no check and balance. They wanted to coerce us to come to Abuja, but we didn’t go to the meeting. No conclusions, no genuine meeting with the Government.
“He wants to destroy buildings in the sector for a Road map that was not approved for Lagos, even the one approved in Abuja for the Aerotropolis nothing has happened there and he wants to turn his policy to law.
“When you are going in the next month, and you want to pull down headquarters and leave nothing. After seven days we go to a total shutdown, we will try to cut Nigeria away from other countries. After seven days we go to a total shutdown. We will cut Nigeria away from other countries”.
