Aero workers accuse AMCON of mismanagement

A mild drama broke out on Monday as workers of Aero Contractors Airline staged a protest at the Murtala Muhammed Airport over alleged mismanagement of the airline by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).

The workers, who accused AMCON and management of the airline of complicity in the matter, said they were being owed backlog of salaries.

Speaking on behalf o the workers, the branch Chairman of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Comrade Emoapo Ayo-Ife, alleged that since 2011, when AMCON invested over billions of Naira into Aero, the airline has not been making any headway.

He said when AMCON brought in the current Board of Directors in 2011, the company had about 11 aircraft but currently the airline has five aircraft.

He said: “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 aeroplane and now we are down to five aircraft and they came in 2011 and as when they came in, they invested about N10 billion and some other equipment.”

Expatiating, he said: “They paid $9million 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 which 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 added.

Echoing similar sentiments, National President of ATSSSAN, Comrade Benjamin Okewu, also alleged that the AMCON-led management was not desirous of sustaining the airline.

He said should the airline face liquidation, about 1,500 workers would lose their jobs.

Comrade Okewu further noted that the present board should be dissolved, adding that if AMCON insisted on putting a board in Aero, they should put a competent board that have the interest of the workers at heart.

According to him, the workers structure had not been updated in the last eight years, adding that the union would not allow the management and AMCON to bring Aero Contractors to a point where they will start to take unprofessional decisions.

Responding on behalf of the management, Mr Simon Tumba, who heads the PR agency managing the airline, said it was yet to be briefed by its client.

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