Trouble for passengers as air traffic controllers plan shut down of flights in severe protest

Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology and the Stock Market.

Flights across Nigerian airports might come to a halt on Wednesday, September 18, as air traffic controllers plan to protest the federal government’s decision to deduct 50% from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of aviation agencies.

The National President of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Abayomi Agoro, expressed concern in a statement on Saturday, stating that safety operations in Nigeria’s aviation industry are deteriorating to unacceptable levels.

NATCA called on its members to observe a nationwide protest on Wednesday till further notice. Photo credit - ChannelsTV, FAAN
Source: UGC

It would be recalled that in early August, aviation unions instructed workers to hold protests at airports across Nigeria, demanding an end to the federal government’s 50% deductions.

In response, aviation minister Festus Keyamo urged the workers to stay calm and uphold industrial harmony, assuring them that the government was diligently working to resolve the issue amicably.

Air controllers threaten flights shutdown

Agoro emphasized that the financial strain on these agencies is crippling the sector’s functionality, calling for an immediate exemption of aviation agencies from the policy, which he says is compromising both safety and efficiency.

According to The Sun, Agoro said the alarming situation poses significant risks to the safety and operational effectiveness of Nigerian airspace if left unaddressed.

The association, therefore, called on its members to observe a nationwide protest on Wednesday till further notice.

The statement read:

“Considering these developments, NATCA’s council, by this press release, places all air traffic controllers on notice that our mother union has directed a nationwide protest effective from “0000 hours on the 18th of September 2024”, all controllers are to comply with the instructions from our mother union until further notice."

Agoro urged the federal government to take immediate action by exempting aviation agencies from the IGR deduction policy and resolving the financial issues jeopardizing the safety and operational efficiency of Nigeria’s airspace.

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Source: Legit.ng