The Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has said that the airline lost over N700 million as a result of the disruption of its operations by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Members of the NLC and the TUC on Wednesday disrupted Air Peace flight operations and stopped the airline from taking off to any destination from its Lagos operational base, after engaging in an industrial action in Imo state against Governor Hope Uzodinma.
The labour and trade unions said Governor Uzodinma disrupted their Workers Day celebration on May 1st in Imo State.
But reacting to the disruption of the airline’s operations by the NLC and the TUC, the Air Peace CEO described it as an insensitive action, saying the airline lost over N700 million as a result of the disruption.
Onyema, who decried the fact that security agents watched as the NLC and the TUC disrupted the airline’s operations leading to massive delays and cancellations, vowed to recover all that the airline lost.
He said that if the Nigerian government fails to do something about the incident, it means that Nigeria is a joke.
Speaking on Arise TV, Onyema said, “You can imagine how I felt this afternoon when I was out there in the war front trying to rescue Nigerians, the Nigeria Labour Congress and TUC (Trade Union Congress) went disrupting every Air Peace flight across the country.
“We are losing over N700 million as a result of that. For somebody who has contributed so much to the nation, all we got paid for on a day like this, so insensitive of the NLC and the TUC.
“They chose today to disrupt our operations for something that does not even concern Air Peace; that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State disrupted their May Day activities; therefore, no flight should go to Imo.”
The Air Peace CEO said that the labour unions wrote to them on Tuesday that they should not go to Imo, “but we have a contract with the passengers, not NLC. NLC or TUC has no right whatsoever to instruct the airline not to obey the contractual relationship or obligation they have with their passengers.
“It is a shame to this nation that the security agencies were watching while an airline that is out there doing all it can was being bagged upon with some people wounded, making sure our operations were destabilized.
“Posting delays, massive delays and massive cancellations, who is going to bear the brunt? While the security agencies sat and watched, yet this airline is out there in Egypt risking the lives of their crew and expending hundreds of millions of Naira on behalf of this country.
“Something should happen because we are not going to let this go down. We must recover all we lost today. If something is not done, then this country is a joke.”