The President of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Ben Nnabue has directed members to report VIPs who violate Covid-19 protocol and assault airport workers, warning that such dignitaries will have to be embarrassed.
In a signed statement, Nnabue said, “The reported incident of unruly behaviour by ex-governor Yari of Zamfara State in which he physically assaulted an airport worker and prevented him from executing an important Covid-19 protocol of disinfecting his luggage is quite abhorring and regrettable. There are reports of a similar incident in Port Harcourt recently.
“We had thought that the usual repugnant and abrasive attitude of many Nigerian VIPs would yield to the emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic and allow reason to prevail at this trying time. These incidents show that is not the case, which is quite unfortunate.
“We are compelled, therefore, to sound this note of warning to VIPs, and indeed all airport users that our union will henceforth take more than passing interest in unruliness of any kind at Nigerian airports, especially as regards flouting of Covid-19 protocols.
“Accordingly, all airport workers are hereby directed to immediately report any such incident to local union officials for immediate mitigating action. In addition, any airport user who falls culprit in this regard will be declared persona non grata at all Nigerian airports and may as such be embarrassed if found within any airport premises.”
