NIGERIA MASTERWEB DAILY NEWS

*Nigeria Cautioned By Pilots, Engineers Over GAT Concession By Lateef Lawal The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers(NAAPE) has cautioned the Federal Government to tread softly on the current controversial concession of the General Aviation Terminal(GAT) to Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd. The issue had been a source of tension between owners of Bi-Courtney, the National Union of Air Transport Employees(NUATE), the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(ATSSSAN) and the Government. The unions are alleging lack of transparency in the deal leading to the handover of GAT to Bi-Courtney while the welfare of workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN)who are likely to be affected in the concessionary exercise has not been addressed. At a press briefing, Friday, 16 October, 2009, in Lagos, the Acting General Secretary of NAAPE, Comrade Umoh Ofonime Tom stressed the need for: "full due process in order to guarantee that the parties are not aggrieved at the end of the day should be paramount to government, workers and the concessionaire. This amicable settlement will provide a conducive working environment for workers and the traveling public, whose interest, we presumably believe, will be at the forefront". The pilots and engineers body cautioned that a situation where ground and air safety are threatened would not augur well for the nation. Comrade Ofonime Tom remarked: "Our members, Pilots and Engineers are already feeling very insecure when coming to work or flying in from other airports. They are not sure of what to meet at the airport on landing in view of the recent security beef up at the GAT. The visible presence of security operatives is a sure sign that all is not well". He added that on several occasions, the association, he noted pleaded with government to imbibe transparency without which it would be difficult for any meaningful success in its policies, especially the privatisation project, adding that the use of brut force in a civilian regime was tantamount to dictatorship and would only derive temporary 'success'. As a way out and to ensure transparency, NAAPE therefore suggested that government should sell the airports in the stock market first to enable all interested Nigerians buy into the company to be called NIGERIAN AIRPORTS PLC instead of selling the people's wealth to institutional investors or individuals as the case is today. India and British Airports Plc are models of what transparency can do when they sold their airports and allied services, NAAPE further pointed out. The NAAPE Acting Scribe said: "We want to state unequivocally that if the situation of heightened insecurity persists, we shall call all professional pilots and aircraft engineers irrespective of membership status to sympathetically support our sister unions in their quest to secure justice and to ensure ground and air safety for the nation's airports". Posted by Lateef Lawal at 9:43 am