Activities have been grounded at the Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja airports following the indefinite strike declared by labour unions.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had declared the industrial action over a lack of consensus on the new minimum wage and the hike in electricity tariff.
In compliance with the directive, workers at Port Harcourt Airport under the aegis of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) blocked vehicular access to the area.
This forced passengers to come down and walk into the airport. However, flights haven’t been disrupted and there is a heavy security presence.
According to the Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals Emmanuel Akagha, the passengers are still being allowed into the airport because the road leading to the airport connects some communities. He, however, said there’s no checking-in or boarding allowed.
It was a similar situation in Lagos State as passengers were grounded owing to the strike.
At the Murtala Mohammed Airport II, quite several passengers are stranded with luggage in hand. As the aviation unions locked the gate, so staff and passengers had no access to the terminal as the nationwide protest began.
At the Abuja Airport, a few passengers are seen at one of the entrances into the terminal as doors are locked. Inside the airport terminal is empty. No staff are in sight and airline stands are empty.