NCAA orders arrest, prosecution of Air Peace driver over runway blockade

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A staff member of Air Peace may have his day in court having blocked the Lagos airport runway over the picketing of the airline on Tuesday.

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The National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, began picketing the airline in the early hours of Tuesday.

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Recall that unions had earlier issued three stages of warning, threatening to picket airlines that have refused to pay the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.

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The unions also alleged that some domestic airlines have made it difficult for employees to freely join trade unions.

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According to the unions, workers are afraid to even express interest in union membership for fear of discrimination or victimisation.

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They, however, described Tuesday’s action as a measure of restraint, saying they had given the affected airlines several weeks to resolve their grievances.

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The dispute also centres on the alleged non-remittance of a 5 per cent ticket sales charge meant to fund aviation agencies.

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While enforcing the picketing, a source at the airport who didn’t want to be mentioned explained to our correspondent that the driver of the bus in question had driven into the airside and left his bus there in protest against the picketing.

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The source added that FAAN had to tow the vehicle from the spot to allow for free movement within the airside.

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When contacted, the NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the development and threatened that appropriate sanctions will be meted out to the yet-to-be-identified driver.

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Achimugu said, “Yes, I’ve been busy with some other things in the early part of today. I was meeting the airlines at a meeting we had earlier scheduled, but from what I was able to gather from the other agency was that, during the enforcement of the picketing, a driver drove the large bus to the runway, parked and left the place.

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“We have ordered that the driver in question be identified and arrested for onward prosecution. How can somebody block the runway? That is seriously uncalled for. We’ll investigate, and the necessary portions of the act will be invoked.”

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When contacted for a response, Air Peace spokesperson, Efe Whiskey-Osifo, dismissed the allegation, saying the vehicle did not block the runway.

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“Show me your pictures. Do you know the runway better than I do? The bus did not block the runway. Do you know what a runway is?” she queried.

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