Aviation unions in Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) today took over the managernt of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport access gate from the Intergrated Intelligent Imaging West Africa Limited (ICUBE) one year after expiration of the contract.
The workers in their hundreds under the supervision of the four aviation unions besieged the access gate as early as 7 am Monday and took over the control of ticketing points from managers of I-CUBE
The workers after dislodging I-CUBE staff, drafted staff of the commercial department to man the gates.
Speaking to journalists, one of the union leaders Comrade Abdulrasaq Seiduthe general secretary of Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrasaq Seidu who supervised the take over, said management of access gate remained the sole responsibility of commercial department of FAAN adding that politicians have messed up the system through illegal concessions of revenue points at airports
Seidu said concession of the access gate was fraudulent without a review of the contract for more than five years now adding that the traffic of the route has greatly increased since the last exercise was carried out.
Saidu alleged that some individuals in FAAN and Ministry of Aviation have compromised over the access gate saying that government was loosing revenue from there.
He explained that following series of meetings held with the aviation Minister, FAAN boss at different occasions, it was made known to them that workers were going to take over the access gate and run it by FAAN commercial department to raise its revenue.
Also speaking, the deputy national president of Air Transport Comrade Sarah Rimdams said workers came to recover back their revenue points to government as the contract with I-CUBE expired last February.
Rimdams said the company has been remitting N68m monthly but there was need for upward review of the contract adding that commercial department of FAAN has taken over and will ensure that they exceeded the N68m being remitted monthly by ICUBE
She disclosed that the access gate was being test run by FAAN to benchmark how much can be generated monthly saying that it will definitely be more the amount being remitted by the concessionsure.
Reacting to the take over, the manager of Integrated Intelligent Imaging West Africa (ICUBE) Mr Toluwaleke Abajingin told journalists that he was surprised to see workers and unions taking over the access gate in the early hours of Monday.
Mr Abajingin said the case was in court between one Rosepine Intergrated limited, FAAN and ICUBE adding that as a responsible organization, ICUBE staff did not resist.
He said ICUBE has been paying FAAN up to date saying that they were never informed about any upward review of the contract or otherwise.
Abajingin said there was a first ritht of refusal saying that FAAN has not communicated to ICUBE on the agreement.
But a director of I-Cube who spoke with africanbusinestravel.com.ng under the condition of anonymity said the board of I-Cube was not surprised at the development because the board saw it coming.
“Anyone who said he or she is surprised about the takeover of the access gate today must be deceiving the public.
“We knew that the contract lapsed since February last year and we have been approached by management of FAAN and leadership of the unions but we took it for granted and thought the business was as it used to be.
“Now they have taken over, we have to go back to round table for talks. If it pleases FAAN they would give us back and if not another organization would be given and the business continues. Afterall nobody gave us a chance when we started. But today we have changed the narratives,” the I- Cube director said.
