Labour Dares President Buhari, Threatens Shutdown Over FG’s Plans to Concession 4 Airports
- The Nigeria Labour Congress has reacted to the recent move by President Buhari to concession four airports in the country
- According to the labour leader, Ayuba Wabba, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, was one of the airports planned to be concessioned
- The NLC described the plan as outrageous, adding that the federal government’s idea of trading the airports is questionable
FCT, Abuja - The president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, has said that labout would resist plans by the federal government to concession four airports newly remodelled from the $1 billion loans it received from China.
The Sun News reported that Wabba issued the threat when he received members of four media chapels of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Thursday, September 16, in Abuja.
Wabba said the information he received revealed that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, which accounts for over 60% of international flights in Nigeria was on the list of airports to be concessioned.
Source: Facebook
Others listed are the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport; Port Harcourt International Airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
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The NLC described the move as suspicious, saying the idea of trading off the airports which the government borrowed loans to put back in shape with a 25 years warranty on the airport facilities was outrageous and the decision, questionable.
He said under the planned concession, 60$% is ceded to the concessioner leaving the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with the remaining 40% out of which it is expected to service the loan from China and pay workers’ salaries, The Nigerian Tribune also reported.
The NLC boss complained that a similar approach was used to trade off the MM2 Airport in Ikeja which has now resulted in bitter litigation and perpetual injunction ceding the asset to the concessioner.
Nigeria's total debt profile and where the loans are borrowed from
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that on Tuesday, September 14, President Muhammadu Buhari tabled a fresh request for the approval of another set of loans before the Senate.
The Nigerian leader sought approval from the National Assembly to borrow $4,054,476,863.00, €710 million and a grant of $125 million.
In a letter read by the Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, President Buhari explained that the loan sought is to finance critical projects in the 2021 budget.
NLC president reacts to bill seeking to amend law on protests in Nigeria
In another news, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and International Trade Union Congress President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has reacted to a bill proposing a five-year jail term for unlawful protesters in Nigeria which has passed first reading at the House of Representatives.
Comrade Wabba who spoke to Legit.ng on the sidelines of an event in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Thursday, July 8, said the NLC has already intervened and opposed the bill.
His words:
“We are expecting that there will be a public hearing. First is that we have already written to say that law infringes on the rights of Nigerians and these rights are universal rights. All around the world, the right to protest is a universal right that cannot be abridged. "
Source: Legit.ng
