The Federal Parastatal and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria (FEEPPPA) has raised concerns about how the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is treating its retired workers. They announced plans to organize protests across the country, starting February 15, if the FAAN management does not engage with them to discuss their grievances.
Emeka Njoku, the General Secretary of FEEPPPA, shared this information during a gathering of senior citizens at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on Tuesday. He emphasized that the new management at FAAN has not been responsive to the needs of the pensioners, which has created frustration among their members.
During the meeting, which was attended by more than 1,000 retired workers, Njoku pointed out that the medical facilities that were previously available to FAAN pensioners are no longer functioning. He noted that issues related to minimum wage adjustments for pensioners have also been ignored by the FAAN management, as they have not responded to the letters sent by the union.
Njoku stressed, “We have reached out to FAAN to hold meetings to discuss these pressing issues, but we have received no response. This year, we will not accept this negligence from FAAN. It’s time we addressed these problems seriously.” He also mentioned that FAAN is supposed to ensure that pensioners receive the minimum wage — which is currently set at N32,000 — but they have not been making this adjustment.
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He stated that in 2002, the union had an agreement with the FAAN management that pensions would be increased whenever salaries were raised. According to Njoku, pensioners had been benefiting from this agreement in the past, but the current management does not seem committed to following through with it. He pointed out that they had previously requested a review of their pensions based on this principle but had not received any response.
Njoku shared that in the past, FAAN management would reach out to the union to discuss proposals and ensure that they aligned with the agreements in place. However, he criticized the current management, led by Olubunmi Kuku, for ignoring their letters and concerns.
He added, “If they do not reach out to us for a meeting by the 15th of this month, we will mobilize our members nationwide for demonstrations. They have been having discussions with other unions about workers’ welfare, but the Director of Human Resources hasn’t initiated any dialogue with us.”
On the other hand, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, the managing director of FAAN, responded in a phone interview, stating that she received the pensioners’ letter in October and had already arranged a meeting with them for December 19, 2024, in response to another correspondence. She indicated that she is open to meeting with them regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays without any discrimination.
She said, “I did see the letter from October, and I’ve taken care of it by scheduling a meeting for December 19. We are definitely prepared to meet with them.”
