Chairman of the Air Transport Services, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Comrade Emoapo Ayo-Ife on Monday alleged that Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) is mismanaging one of Nigeria’s major airlines, Aero Contractors and warned that about 1,500 workers would lose their jobs if the airline goes under.
Ayo-Ife said since AMCON invested about N10 billion in the company in 2011 the company has failed to record any progress due to interventions of the government agency in the management of Aero, adding that $9 million paid to a company in Brazil for additional airplanes was yet to be retrieved and the aircraft not delivered.
He said out of initial 11 aircraft in the fleet of the airline, the operating airplanes has now reduced to five, adding that many of the aircraft could not be taken for maintenance and have remained on ground.
The ATSSSAN Chairman who spoke to journalists during protest march at Aero’s office at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos wondered where the money and equipment invested in the company had gone and disclosed that the workers were calling for the dissolution of the board with immediate effect.
“AMCON invested about N10 billion in this company (Aero Contractors Airline) throughout the period that they have been here, when they came in, we had 11 aeroplanes and now we are down to five aircraft and they came in 2011 and as when they came in. They invested about N10 billion cash and some other equipment; they paid a $9 million to a company in Brazil, which we are yet to retrieve and nobody is talking about all that. All we are asking for is a prudent management and workers welfare. We want AMCON to dissolve the board”
“What we have been asking for is that the company has an existing structure that has not been updated in the last eight years, ordinarily, it is something that the management has the power to do but unfortunately for us, we have a board who came to hijack all the decision making rights of the management and they have been hiding under this to loot the company, they tell us they don’t have money and we have been seeing some frivolous contracts made in the system. Before the last Managing Director was made to go, there was an issue of about N450 million that was taken out of the system in the name of consultancy fee for the company lawyer,” Comrade
Ayo-Ife alleged.
Also speaking, National President of ATSSSAN, Benjamin Okewu said that interest of AMCON was not directed towards the survival of the airline, adding that should the airline go under about 1,500 workers would lose their jobs.
Okewu further noted that the present board should be dissolved, adding that if AMCON insisted in putting a board in Aero, they should put a competent board that has the interest of the workers at heart.
According to him, even the workers structure had not been updated in the last eight years and noted that the unions would not allow the management and AMCON to bring Aero Contractors to a point where they would start to take unprofessional decisions.
Meanwhile, Assistant General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye said that the management was milking the company dry why the workers were suffering.
Comrade Abioye said, “The Board of Directors is the major problem that we are facing and we must send them away”
When contacted, Spokesman for the airline Mr. Sam Otunba said that his client had not briefed him about any form of protest.
