The Federal Government has declared that it cannot be stopped from bringing development to the people in response to a motion by the Senate ordering the government to suspend the demolition of premises belonging to agencies undertaking aviation activities at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
Hadi Sirika, the aviation minister, made the remarks on Wednesday at a press conference held at the State House in Abuja following the Federal Executive Council, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The aviation minister argued that people opposing the destruction shouldn’t deprive millions of Nigerians of the satisfaction of seeing a transformed Lagos airport, which would be feasible in other nations.
Sirika asserts that the Senate has a motive for escalating the matter and that it cannot be used as more than an advisory body to the government.
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The warning strike threatened by the Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers was brought to the attention of the upper legislative chamber by Senator Biodun Olujimi, who chairs the senate committee on aviation, hours earlier.
“Just the other day, some houses were demolished by the Lagos government in our camp. We have been on that issue for some time, we went up to Supreme Court and won and they had to give way for development. This is in the national interest,” Sirika said.
“There’s no individual that can drag it out with the government. If I want to pull down this hall and build a better one, who is going to stop me as a government?
“So I think it is not an issue, they are just overheating it and you know why. But we have a responsibility and mandate, and we are not shy, we are very bold to do all those things that are good for our people. We are also a very responsive and responsible government, where it will affect the lives of the people, of course, we are going to do it.
“We have been known to do things that better civilization everywhere we go. So, this one also is going to make life very good.”
