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.”
