Lagos airport on shutdown as Aviation workers reportedly embark on strike

Lagos airport on shutdown as Aviation workers reportedly embark on strike

The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc’s employees went on strike on Monday morning, January 23, which grounded all international flights at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

The strike is over a pay increase, claims NAHCO in a release by the PUNCH, as the airport activities were shutdown.

Alex Nuba, an impacted traveller, and aviation specialist claimed that NAHCO employees left the international airport on Monday morning; declaring they were on strike and refusing to handle any passengers.

“Even the Qatar flight I’m traveling with this morning landed and has returned to Doha; as there’s no one to handle them,” Nwuba said.

He claimed that disgruntled passengers had been kept outside in order to prevent a crisis; and that no information, announcements, or emails have been issued to them.

Several foreign airlines, such as Air France/KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic; and Turkish Air, entrust their check-in, boarding, and ramp services to NAHCO.

More flights would be grounded, according to travellers, if the problem is not resolved.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari is being sued by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). This was for “failing to reverse the unlawful, unjust, and unreasonable increase in electricity tariff; and to probe the spending of public funds as “investments and bailouts” to DisCos and GenCos since 2005.”

Joined in the suit as Respondents are the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); and the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading PLC.

This followed the reported approval by the NERC wherein electricity tariffs were increased across DisCos in the country in December 2022. As a result, several prepaid customers have reportedly confirmed the increase. The Minister of Power and NERC have refused to confirm or deny the increase.

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The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Adelanke Aremo, read in part: “The increase in electricity tariff would exacerbate the extreme poverty across the country; and undermine the ability of millions of Nigerians to satisfy basic human needs.”

 

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