By Gabriel Udeh
Aviation workers will on Sunday shut down flight operations at the Kaduna Airport as the various aviation unions in the country jointly resolved to proceed on an industrial action till next week Friday.
The unions are: National Union Of Air Transport Employees, Association Of Nigeria Aviation Professionals and National Association Of Aircraft Pilots And Engineers.
In a letter jointly signed by the leaders of the three bodies, the workers said the strike was in consonance with the declaration by the Nigeria Labour Congress, Kaduna State Chapter, to embark on the action in protest over anti-labour practices perpetrated against civil servants by the Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led administration in the state.
The letter dated May 14, 2021 was titled, ‘Notice To All Aviation Workers – Total Shut Down Of Kaduna Airport’. It was jointly signed by NUATE General Secretary, Ocheme Aba; ANAP General Secretary, Rasaq Saidu; and NAAPE General Secretary, Umoh Ofonime.
The aviation unions further wrote the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Capt Hamisu Yadudu, officially informing him of the development.
The Kaduna Airport has both domestic and international wings and processes both local and international passengers.
The decision by the aviation workers will bring unbearable pains on the travelling public as the Kaduna Airport is a vital connecting gateway for Northern businessmen and the elite who avoid travelling by road as the Abuja-Kaduna Road has become kidnappers’ den of late.
