By Chuks Okoh
The Emir of Kano and former governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Sanusi Lamido Sanusi,said the federal government must do away with obnoxious laws that seek to ban trade unionism in the country as such laws violate the fundamental rights of workers in any organisation.
The Emir spoke in Kano at the 43rd Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association, NATCA.
Sanusi appealed to the federal government and the national assembly to repeal notorious laws that aimed to curtail the activities of trade unionism in the country.
Represented by the Sa,in Kano, Alhaji Wada Waziri Ibrasheem, the former CBN governor said ” opposing obnoxious laws is the hallmark of trade unionism, to go against any law that is notorious and that does not suit the people or recognised their welfare”.
He further said “trade union do not allow government to do what government wishes to do but what is wanted by the people is what it should do”.
He charged the traffic controllers to embark on refresher training because of the sensitive nature of their job affirming that they hold the lives of people in their hands once they are airborne.
The Kano Emir said ” you provide one of the most important and sensitive services to mankind and therefore must be patient, observanT and quick to carry out any safety measures to safe guard lives”.
Meanwhile, a pilot and former House of Representative member, Bala Ibn Na’ Allah who was the chairman of the occasion said no parliament worth its salt will pass any anti people bill into law.
He charged the federal to tread carefully as a similar row led to the airspace of France being shut down for days recently by the air traffic controllers and pilots.
Na’ Allah said he will lead the campaign to the parliament to oppose any such legislation.
He said ” it will be better the ATCOs maintain the professional ethics and be counted worthy or throw away its ethics and become one of the most dangerous human species on earth because the error or intentions of one person can result in the death of thousand”.
The pilot said ” if l am alive l will represent this association when the bill is presented for public hearing at the national assembly.”
President of NATCA Victor Eyaru said ” it is rather out of place,in a democracy to militarise civil aviation by the introduction of clause to prohibit Air Traffic Controllers from embarking on industrial action in the NCAA’s bill irrespective of the circumstances”.
He said “this in our view is depriving us the fundamental human right and anti-labour. We call on the national assembly to block the passage of such anti- democratic laws when it is finally presented to it”.
