AMCON saves aviation from collapsing
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| . , The intervention of Asset Management Corporation Of Nigeria (AMCON) has saved or protected thousands of jobs and saved the aviation industry from sudden collapse. For this the corporation should be praised, not vilified. The apparent gang up against the interest of AMCON represented by withholding of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to NG Eagle amounts to repudiation of the gratitude that the aviation family owes AMCON. And National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) is truly disturbed by this. It is on record that the intervention of AMCON in aviation has achieved two important objectives. By pursuing a rescue, rather than liquidation, of Arik Air and Aero Contractors when it was actually easier to liquidate. Secretary General, National Union of Air Transport Employees(NUATE) Comrade Aba Ocheme stated this while addressing the press in Lagos. “As you all may recall, during the period of failing of some critical banks such as Keystone, the intervention of AMCON in the banking sector then was to protect the depositors, not the wayward owners of the banks. By doing so, faith of depositors which is absolutely essential for banking was retained, and the banking industry was saved” . “Therefore, the intervention of the Presidency is called upon here to protect AMCON, not from payment of debts, but to maintain focus on rescuing the industry from wayward airline proprietors and colluding or condescending public officers. AMCON’s intendment for setting NG Eagle cannot be countermanded and should be rewarded with quickened assent by all authorities concerned.” According to Ocheme,NUATE would rather not be involved with the war between the Ministry of Aviation and AMCON over the burning question of establishing a national carrier. But, the intervention of the Presidency on the matter has become urgent because of the high stakes for Nigeria. It is indeed important to state the overriding need for a national carrier at this time.What is at issue is the best method to bring it about. . “Many argue that the Ministry has taken all of six years, and still counting, to form a national carrier that will not be owned by Government, but AMCON has utilized a few months to achieve the objective, though, the nature of the Ministry’s effort is very obvious to aid comparison.” ” Our plea is that the Presidency should be able to positively intervene on the matter, in our view to determine the work-ability of both efforts and chart a progressive path towards a quickest possible establishment of a worthy national carrier for Nigeria.”In this wise, nothing forecloses a marriage of efforts on both sides.” He said it is the desire of NUATE to not inflame passions over these issues. Our interest is in seeing that the seeming war of attrition does not spill and cause a crash of Nigeria’s flight to progress in the aviation industry. “Therefore, NUATE’s call for the urgent intervention of the Presidency in the current circumstances is borne out of goodwill and absolute good faith. It is our hope, therefore, that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chief of Staff to the President will hearken to our call to duty by taking urgent steps to ameliorate these simmering that are likely to keep us away from meeting our objectives and targets.” |
