To say the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari led government is not willing to stay a day longer in office as the May 29, 2023 date for his government to hand over to a new government is very glaring.
The Buhari’s government which took over the mantle of leadership of the country having won the election held in 2015 and 2019 will be exiting the stage after eight years in office.
Buhari at different fora had declared his readiness to quickly relocate to his home town of Daura in Katsina State as soon as he hands over to the incoming government.
In proving this point, the outgoing government recently inaugurated a Presidential Transition Council (PTC) made up of 24 members which includes; two persons from the President-Elect’s team.
The major purpose of the council is to ensure a smooth transition process and make the work more efficient in addition to working out the details Programmes and other logistics necessary for the successful inauguration ceremonies.
As the government at the centre continues with the hand over preparations, similar scenarios are expected to play out in the different ministries where ministers in charge should in return commence preparations for the handing over to the topmost officials at the ministries as the first step towards leaving the stage for the incoming government.
This simple principle that is normal in other climes seems to be missing in Nigeria where the body language of many ministers contradicts the fact that power is transient with the manner they continue to conduct themselves as if the act of governance is ending with them.
It is here in Nigeria that a minister who has less than few weeks to the end of his tenure still continues to award contracts and execute huge projects even when he knows he cannot go far with such projects.
The government officials who engage in these illegalities are doing so for selfish purposes with no recourse to the consequences of such actions.
This brings to the fore the ongoing tension between the outgoing minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the aviation workers in Nigeria.
It is no longer news that the minister despite having less than two months in office has continued to set the entire sector on fire through his adamant resolve to execute some gigantic projects which will automatically throw the sector into a chaotic situation as soon as he leaves the stage.
Some of such hostile projects he is hell bent on executing is the planned demolition of the headquarters of the aviation agencies at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos for an aerotropolis project thattime may not allow to take off, and the demolition of some private hangars at the international wing of the Lagos airport for the expansion of the apron for the recently newly commissioned terminal.
Why he wants to demolish the private hangars worth $300million even when time is not on his side has been described by many key players as suspicious hence, capable of creating problems for the incoming government.
The minister’s insistence on demolishing the agencies’ offices cannot augur well for the sector in view of the fact that over 80 percent of aviation transactions are done in Lagos.
The notion among the different stakeholders is that the destruction of the offices and the subsequent relocation of the workers to Abuja is an attempt to de market the number one gateway airport.
While the minister declared that there will be no going back on his demolition plans, the aviation unions have vowed to frustrate the plans unless the minister follows all the labour conditions to the letter.
The various unions; the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) with workers from all the aviation agencies at a protest rally held at the freedom Square within the Lagos airport have called on the minister to rescind his decision or ready for war with them.
Many of the union leaders who addressed the workers wondered why the minister who should be preparing his handing over note, is taking actions that will jeopardize the future of the sector.
Among the placards carried by the workers during the rally include; ‘demolition of FAAN Headoffice is fraudulent’, ‘FAAN Headoffice is not for sale’, ‘No to demolition of FAAN Headoffice’, ‘Build FAAN Corporate Office in Abuja’, among others.
The unions who vowed to resist any attempt by the minister to destroy the offices cited how the same minister had last year illegally destroyed the Lagos headoffice of the former Accident Investigation Bureau without fulfilling the purpose for the demolition.
Speaking before embarking on the protest match, the Deputy General Secretary, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Comrade Frances Akinjole said, the unions though not averse to the relocation plan of the minister, but insisted there must be provisions for offices, adequate accommodation and full payment of staff relocation allowance.
According to Akinjole, until such demands are met, the unions will resist all attempts by the minister to demolish the headquarters of aviation offices annex and staff quarters in Lagos.
For the Secretary General, Association of Aviation Professionals, ANAP, Comrade Abdulrazak Saidu, many staff of the AIB now National Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB whose Lagos office was destroyed over a year ago are still working from home.
According to him, those who were relocated to Abuja are yet to secure accommodation, paid relocation allowance and a conducive office space.
Other union leaders who spoke said, Lagos was never part of the aerotropolis project, adding that, Lagos as the hub of aviation agencies deserve to have offices here.
While there seems to be no going back with the minister’s plans, the unions on the other side have vowed to use all available opportunities including legal means to stop Sirika from having his way.
As the intrigues and counter intrigues continue with the May 29th handing over date getting closer, the atmosphere is charged and becoming toxic for the incoming minister of aviation.
