Civil Society Council petitions attorney general over exploitation of Nigerians by foreign companies

The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN), has petitioned 
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice over the exploitation of Nigerians by foreign companies.
 
The NCSCN Executive Director, Mr Blessing Akinlosotu, said that the exploitation had reached an alarming level, and demanded immediate investigation and some definite legal action by the Ministry of Justice. 
 
Akinlosotu, in a letter to the attorney general, said NCSCN’s interest was in the aviation sector, owing to some recent developments involving Air Peace and other foreign airlines plying Lagos to London.
 
The executive director stated that foreign companies operating within Nigeria had been taking advantage of Nigerian citizens through unfair labour practices, environmental degradation, and disregard for local laws and regulations. 
 
According to her, the exploitation not only undermines the rights and well-being of Nigerians, but also damages the country’s reputation and social fabric. 
 
She further stated that the foreign companies’ exploitative tendencies constituted a threat to the social and economic stability of Nigeria. 
 
Akinlosotu cited the case of Air Peace, Nigeria’s indegenous airline, which commenced operations to London.

She noted that immediately Air Peace launched its Lagos-London route, there was a sudden crash in air tickets prices by more than 60 per cent by foreign airlines.
 
“We have considered and now doubt their sincerity of purpose considering that these airlines had hitherto charged exorbitantly higher prices on the same route before the entrance of Air-Peace.
 
“Many airlines are today forced to lure passengers to book economy class seats on the Lagos/London route with N907,782 fares, as opposed to the over N2 million for the economy they charged before now. 
 
“British Airways has been forced to slash its fares on the Abuja/London Heathrow to N1,394,536 as against the over N3 million it was formerly charging. 
 
“Now, an economy class ticket on Virgin Atlantic from Lagos to London has been brought down to N980,654 as against the N2.353,200 it used to charge.
 
“An operator such as Turkish Airlines charges for the economy class ticket on the Lagos-Istanbul route N874,661 while the business class ticket jumped N1,980,876,” she added. 
 
She stated that it was evident that the conspiracy among foreign airline operators was not only deliberate to exploit and inflict hardship on Nigerian citizens, but also to mock the laxity of the government towards the welfare of its citizens. 
 
She urged the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate, sanction, or take other forms of legal action against airlines involved in this exploitative conspiracy.
 
“Allowing foreign companies to operate unchecked in their exploitation sets a dangerous precedent. 
 
“It signals to other entities that such behaviour is acceptable and may lead to a flood of similar actions from various actors, further destabilising our economy and social fabric.
 
“Furthermore, sanctioning these companies sends a clear message that our government is committed to upholding the well-being and interests of its citizens. 
 
“It is the duty of the Ministry of Justice to protect the rights and well-being of our citizens, and therefore we are calling on you to investigate and take legal action against these companies.  
 
“By taking a firm stance against such behaviour, we show that our nation values justice, fairness, and the protection of its people above all else,” Akinlosotu added.