FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, RASHEED BISIRIYU, SOPURUCHI ONWUA
20 January 2004
Lagos — NIGERIA'S airspace would be shut throughout the impending nationwide strike that begins tomorrow.
Consequently, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has warned air travelers to beware as flying during the industrial action would be at the risk of those involved.
The strike is being called to protest the N1.50k fuel tax and the reversion to N34 per litre of petrol even as fuel queues returned to Lagos ahead of the impending strike.
President of NUATE, Mr. Imonitie Itua, and the general secretary, Mr. Abdulrasaq Seidu, told Labour reporters at the Yaba annex office of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that all aviation workers will join the strike as a loyal affiliates of the Congress.
They said the union had consequently written the government and her agencies, private and foreign airlines, embassies as well as all aviation parastatals, on the decision of the workers and the need for them to be prepared for the consequences of the planned shutdown of the airspace.
The Labour leaders said they were aware of possible moves by government to negotiate with some airline operators to open shop even when none of the vital operational equipment would be handled by the NUATE personnel.
They warned foreigners to be cautious and endure the situation "since we all have to make sacrifices to make the country change for the better."
The NUATE leaders said there was no basis for their union not to join the strike against anti-people policies of the government because their members, being employees of the government, also suffer from policies of the administration on a daily basis.
The workers who also highlighted a catalogue of perceived injustices meted out to them by the government warned that "beginning midnight of January 21, NUATE shall not guarantee air safety both on ground and in the airspace as a result of our full involvement in the national strike."
Also, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has directed its members to join in the nationwide action, saying their support would enable the strike succeed.
National president, Gidado Hamman, who met with the leaders of Lagos State council said the impending struggle was directly those of the members.
He said if the drivers refused to join in the fight to stop alleged extortion by government and save democracy, there will not be an end to the incessant hike in fuel prices.
Meanwhile, the NLC has zoned Lagos State into 10 areas to be headed by a co-ordinator.
Assistant general secretary Mr.. Owei Lakemfa said in Lagos that there would be protest rallies in each of the zones and that the Congress leadership would ensure they are peaceful.
He said monitoring teams had also been set up to maintain peace and attend to immediate logistic needs.
But a group, Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI) yesterday raised alarm about disruption in the ongoing airlifting of pilgrims to Mecca, notwithstanding the earlier exemption of Hajj flights from the strike.
The aviation watchdog was reacting to NUATE's decision to shut down the airspace as part of efforts to make the effect of the strike total.
Airlifting of pilgrims from Nigeria for this year's hajj commenced in different parts of the country since last week and it is expected to continue until next week.
Following an earlier appeal by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), NLC assured that all hajj flights would not be disrupted.
But Capt. Jerry Agbeyegbe, the Executive Director of NASI, who commended the NLC for exempting hajj flights from the industrial action, billed to commence tomorrow, however, noted that the exemption would be meaningless if the support structures which guarantee flight safety were not available.
NASI, in a statement signed by Agbeyegbe therefore, called for the exemption of critical sectors of aviation needed for smooth hajj operations.
Meanwhile, ahead of tomorrow's nationwide strike workers in Anambra State yesterday held a rally at Aroma junction in support of the action just as commercial banks in Benin, the Edo State capital, ran out of cash due to mass withdrawals by their customers.
Addressing the workers yesterday, Chairman of the Anambra State Council of NLC Mr. Charles Onyeagba, said "the rally is two folds, one, to demonstrate our condemnation of the political crisis in the state and two, to prepare the workers for Wednesday (tomorrow's) strike."
Onyeagba said there was the need for traders, commercial motorbike operators and other people to participate in the strike "so as to let Federal Government knows that we are against the fuel price hike."
The state president Town Union Association (ASATU) Chief Ben Ezeagboogu, urged people in the state to support the NLC in its moves to check the Federal Government and to improve the welfare of Nigerians.
In Benin, several customers besieged the banks yesterday to make last minute withdrawals ahead of tomorrow's proposed strike.
At the Akapapakva Street which housed greater number of commercial banks, endless queues of anxious customers were seen in front of the banks.
The situation was more fearful at one of the banks along Mission Road where customers fought themselves to get a number that would enable them withdraw money.
The timely intervention of private securitymen saved the situation from degenerating into a major fracas.
A manager of one of the banks who pleaded anonymity, told Daily Champion that the bank had attended to more than 500 customers before noon yesterday.
"Only two percent of them or less, came to deposit. Others stormed here to withdraw huge amounts of cash that will sustain them throughout the period of the expected strike.
"I am sure that you will agree with me that this type of situation is not good for the economy of a developing nation like Nigeria.
"Something urgent should be done to avert the strike because its effects on the nation would be more than the controversial N1.50k fuel tax," he stated.
Meanwhile, people have started stockpiling foodstuffs and other essential goods to cushion the effects of the envisaged prolonged strike.
A visit to some of the major markets within the Edo State capital yesterday revealed a mad rush for the purchase of foodstuffs and other essential things.
At the popular Oba Market, buyers who were mostly women were seen buying items like rice, beans, garri, yams, palm oil and even iced fish, in large quantities.
In the same vein, several filling stations were seen yesterday making frantic efforts to dispose off their old stock of fuel.
Kwara State council of NLC has expressed its preparedness for the impending strike, calling for a total support for the strike to make it a success.
In a communique after a Special Emergency State Executive Council meeting signed by its chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeoribe, the council frowned at the alleged unpopular policies of the present administration.
Meanwhile, fuel queues returned to filling stations in Lagos yesterday as motorists engaged in panic buying in anticipation of scarcity from tomorrow when the nationwide strike is expected to begin, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Daily Champion observed long queues of vehicles snaking out of fuel retail outlets into major roads in the city as most of the fuel service stations were overcrowded with desperate buyers.
Besides, the unwelcome reality of fuel hawkers clutching jerrycans of the product along major roads has returned. The hawkers often sell at unbearable prices.
The panic buying broke out following statements by president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, warning Nigerians to stock up food supplies and enough cash to last the period of the impending strike.
Daily Champion surveys in Ikeja, Apapa, Mariland, Ikoyi, Marina and Victoria Island, showed that fuel marketers were having a field day as they turned on all their dispensing pumps to contain the pressure from crowds of buyers.
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