Aviation professionals petition minister over N120bn pension fund
The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) has expressed concern over the inability of workers at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to access their over N120 billion pension funds as a result of poor documentation.
The situation has been heightened by the devastating effects of COVID-19 that has wreaked havoc leading to dwindling revenue in the aviation agency.
The association said that workers would not fold their arms and watch their revenue nose diving after the havoc wrecked by the pandemic.
A letter dated January 4, 2021, and signed by Abdulrasaq Saidu, Secretary General of ANAP and addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, through the Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Hamisu Yadudu, noted that FAAN workers were in a dilemma as a result of non-implementation of the pension funds
The union also frowned at the manner in which concession, lease and Build, Operate and Transfer were being granted at the detriment of FAAN and its workers.
ANAP explained that with the lopsided nature of these agreements, details of the contracts were not made known to workers of FAAN to enable them assertain the real position of contracts in organisation.
It said: “Seymor Car park multi-storage building is a concession, the rail project in Abuja, the legend hotel building in the MMIA, the ASL building, the Executive jet building,Where are their agreements, are they paying what they should pay to FAAN.
“Are the land where they built well measured, are they forwarding their yearly audited account to FAAN, so that FAAN can collect a five percent concession fee.”
The union called on the minister to request for the agreement of MMA2 operated by Bi-Contney Aviation s?Services Limited, warning that corruption would not be allowed to continue in the system.
ANAP said the aviation minister should call for a meeting on MMA2 issue to examine terms of agreement, adding that MMA2 management was not paying FAAN for services rendered which the union described as huge corruption and stealing public funds by trick.
ANAP noted that wreckless concession agreement in FAAN had brought down the organisa tion’s revenue and was finding it difficult to pay salaries because so many revenue points were not captured.
They blamed politicians for over bloating the workforce in the organisation by giving employment to those without requisite qualification for jobs warning that only professionals should be employed.
ANAP urged the minister to use the year 2021 to correct the mistakes of the past administration adding that there was no area in the airport available for concession as everywhere has been concessioned
It added that the ministry was focused on concession because they were bereaved of ideas on how to manage the industry adding that FAAN was too unique to toy with.
The union called for the appointment and inauguration of the Board of Parastatals
