Unions lock up FAAN, protest planed return of concessli\n~ OLUSEGUN KorKI
nions in the Nigerian avtatllln lndustry and workers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria yesterday staged a protest against the planned rerurn of the ,sacked concessionaire of FAAN in aeronautic and non-
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aeronautic revenues, Nigeria limited. Also, the protesting workers in their bundreds locked up the headquarters office of FAAN. which prevented employers
who had earUer turned up for work from gaining entrance mto their offices. The unions . Air Trans-
port Senior Staff Services of Nigeria. National UnJon of Air Transport Employees and th e Trade Union Congress - vowed that they wo uld do everything h Umanly possible
rrom preventing the conces-
sionaire to return to Its former duty post. NaliolllJI M irror gathered that the lndustry unions had resumed at the FAAN's head-
that the
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~----------~--~-"~-C~C--------------------------------------quarters gate as early as Sam should lnvestlgate the opera- Aviation Terminal and the and barr icaded the entrance to tlons of Maevls at the airport," Murtala Mohammed lnterna· the office tlll noon when It was and "Maevis is a drainpipe," tiona! Airport, Lagos In solireopened.. among other protestlng plac- darity with the decision of the Workers carrying various nrds also carried a mock como Ministry of Aviation to sack placards with inscriptions like, of the concessionaire with the the concessionaire. SpeakIng a t the freedom "Maevis should be allowed to inscription "R..LP:" die a natural death," workers The workers marched square, venue of the rall]/; the will sh ut down the airspace througb the airport environ- Presldeni, ATSSSAN, Comif Maevts returns. - EFCC ment lncluding the General rade 8enjamln Okewu said
IITA, others initiate $12m project to boost yam productivity Cote D'ivoire to Nigeria. representing over 90 percent of the global productlon.IITA said. Yams provide the most im· he International insti· lute of Troplcal Agr!- portant source of dietary cal0cullUre (UTA) and a host ries in NIgeria and Ghana. or partners have announced And for many people in the relandmark new initiative to dra- gion. they rank above meat as matically boost yam productiv- a source of protein, the stateity and double the incomes of mentadded... three million yam rarmers in nTA:s Director Genera], 01: West Af'rlca. Nteranya Sangfnj;a, said, .. According to a statement by "Right now, most farmers cultiIITA, the Yam Improvement for vate yams main1y for bousehold Income and Food Security In consumption, but if we can West Africa (YllFSWA) project, increase yields. whlle also imwhich is supported by a 112m prOving m arketing conditions, grant from the Bill & Melinda then many of these farmers Gates Foundation, will be led should be able to earn a steady by the institute In collaboration inoome from growing yams, .. with the governments of Ghana Yam prices have been rising and Nigeria, the lJ'K's Natural in recent yean because there is Resources institute NRI, the Al· a strong demand for the crop in liance for a Green Revolution Africa, and even in places like in Africa, AGRA, and catholic EW'Ope and the United States, Relief Services, CRS. where rapidly growtng Wes t The YllFSWA project wUl African lmmJgranl communirocus on increasing yields ties still have a big appetite for through better seed tuber sup- their traditionally preferred ply and improving markets staple. for this underground, edible The YlJFSWA project is an tuber----aome or whJcb are as ambitious, multifaceted fivesmall as a fist, others as tall as year effort with a vision of doubling the incomes of three Yams were first domesticated million small-holder (arming by African farmers 7,000 years familles. The initial focus of ago. Today, 48.1 mtlllon tons the project Is on 200,000 small· or yams are produced annu· holder farm families to Ghana ally across 4.4 mUllon hectares and Nlgerla-9l) percent or of land In West Africa's "Yam whom cultivate less than two
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eltends from
acres.
andsmcethe~mentfur~ survival of FAAN came into Place. about five concesslonaires have heen sent out:; Pan Express Limited was sent OUt Termlnal Zero car park here in Lagos Alrpc.rt was returned to FAAN. the V[P lounge in Ablija Is today under the control of the unions, the tollgate in Abu· Ja was also revoked.. ..
REDAN seel(s restructuring of housing (I I
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ITli.
STANlEY IHEDIGBO
Belt" - which
I"e~ocatlon of Maeva
contract w 5 not the only one the work!! bad fou&ht In recent time. He spec Hcally mentioned the I'1!vocat n 0( Pan Express contract, the Term.l nal Zero concession ~d the take over of Ablija toUgate from Its concessionaire by the workers of FAAN as so ~e of the strugg)es the unions had fought in the last flve yea . Okewu th,reatened that if the Federal Governmenl returned the sacked (':oncessionalre, the workers would nOt hesitate to ground aviation acuvltles around the airports. l-R: tMreelot, UTN Nigeria, Mr. 1\Jnde FoIawfyo; • benerldlry of pt... t 01' the YlWF ~p s.ct.n. for the He said, " Maevts is one of ~ ImpIIlrlld, AIrfI AdeOolwn.nd Chalmwt, MTN N~.n.. Dr. Pucal Dozle, IIt the aoulhem reg60n cwtI1kate the concesslonalres of FAAN
T
he Real Estate [)evelAssoclatfon of Nigeria (REDAN) advocated the restructuring of the current housing development plans, sttessina; thai the poor masses wJuch constitutes the largest per cent in iLe COUDtry would. not have actes!j 1:0 affo$ble houslne under the current ar~menl This Is even as the a.ssoc.Lation blamed paucJty of bank credlt to the sectol~ Cor the huge ho~tng deficit being u · perienC1'!d in the country: REDAN, Presjden~ Mr. Qla· opel'S
DAVO AYEYEIII
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number c:L rommutsrs ferries lJao.'t rigeq trom .m,1D) montbl,y 10 1-4 million. Coounisslmer filr Wod<s and lnIi"astnlcture Dr. Hrunza. 0baIl0ml, bas n;vealod _ to b1m, the figure is
ustna
expected to ino'eBse to QWf rour milllan when the jetties are rom· plcted.
Tho comntissiotwr stalEd that the OOIllPJetioo ri" the three new aJona with thn6e tieing re-
)..u.s
habilitafed at MDe2 and Oworon-shOki would ensure the end ~ the perennial gridlock the. char-
acterise IIlOVing arow1d
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,p ans
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bJil n400 of them.
bode Afblayan. ..-ho th06e Ahola ~urtn. lis slakibol dk N en' fo~m on accelerating is still Y hOUling development If' tM 16 mill
!><REin. deflci ~ put at I~
the estlDuite amount 118edq~ N$ItD I 10 address the housing defied CO¥t of~ . N53tn. I Ha II d According tQ bUn. "'f ~j ~are u
~ldl
P .. .an average ~~of a Hat. ~~
l)ank
to. "",in
aUtJes: tfW confront bOI:~ 1 loilns e Ii 't ~~ild1ng proj as individuals 8jld ol'lanisa, eets or a, I 01 ~e facllit.Ies. tlODS with respect to houslnl; Th18 h¥ ~i ll 118bl.- clenied the
delivery in the oountty is nd: poor ""bo~ QI~ t;arpt in the doubt dauntin, and calls Cor II soCla1..o g,AcJ;me; access chanBe of a»proar;h 8Dd iStrat, to 1JUdt(l !1lJ.f!'-It cites that wtll meet current' rn P<D"f ldatifi l be attributed realities if we must aclt~ la 'tht e~;~jOtJ. ~It be. desirable target. .\ iDe ~da the nation's "Hous1na supply stOl ranks I capJtal jtq ~ 0( ~ple low cOmpared to numbflJ' of search (If eeqor RaStQres.
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