•Aviation minister, Festus Keyamo
Flight activities were disrupted at the Lagos, Abuja, and Kano airports on Wednesday as workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency staged protests at the facilities.
At the Lagos airport, XEJET, Aero Contractors, and Ibom Air operated as scheduled, while Air Peace did not, reports The PUNCH.
In a statement posted on its X handle, Air Peace stated that following the strike by NiMet staff, it had to suspend its operations.
The statement, which was signed by the airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, stated, “Due to the ongoing NiMet strike and the unavailability of CNH (hazardous weather) reports required for safe landings, Air Peace has suspended all flight operations nationwide until the strike is over.
“Your safety is our top priority. We appreciate your understanding and will share updates as the situation unfolds.”
To tackle the situation, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, called for a meeting with members of the protesting NiMet unions. The meeting is scheduled to be held today (Thursday).
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the strike officially commenced at 7:00 am yesterday, with NiMet staff and union members seen walking around the premises
It was also gathered that some employees spent the night at the agency’s premises to enforce a complete halt to operations.
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State, many passengers were stranded on Wednesday following the protest by NiMet workers over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage.
The protest caused delays in several scheduled flights at the airport. An airport staff member, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, said the protest disrupted many flights, forcing the airport authority to cancel or delay them.
“As you know, flights are determined by weather, and NiMet is the agency providing weather information to pilots. So, though some flight operations are still ongoing, the protest has affected many flights,” he said.
It was gathered that many air travellers were left stranded as numerous flights experienced delays due to the protest.
The Northwest Zonal Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees, Timothy Meshelia, also confirmed that the protest disrupted several flights at the airport yesterday.
“The protesting staff are accusing the management of NiMet of failing to implement the N30,000 and N70,000 minimum wage, non-payment of staff allowances, ignoring requests to include omitted staff in past payments, and neglecting key training programmes, among other issues.
“The association has given the management one month to implement the new minimum wage or face industrial action,” he stated.
However, a senior NiMet management staff member, who pleaded not to be named, expressed frustration at the unions’ decision to down tools despite ongoing efforts to address their demands.
“The management is disappointed with the hardline taken by the unions when some of the issues in dispute have been resolved, and others are in various stages of resolution. In a response given by management when the unions served it a strike notice, management stated all the issues and their status,” the official stated.
The source noted the seeming contradiction in the unions’ actions, saying, “It is surprising that the unions resorted to strike action because the unions themselves recently wrote and thanked management for its labour-friendly policies. This makes you wonder if there are other motives or if there are people bent on sabotaging management.”
Despite the impasse, NiMet management says it remains committed to resolving the crisis.
“Management is not relenting in reaching an amicable resolution with the unions so that normal services will be restored. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, who has been supportive, has scheduled a meeting with all the parties on Thursday, April 24, 2025. We are hopeful that the unions will listen to reason. No one bites off his nose to spite his face,” the official stated.
On the union side, the National Deputy President of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Uzor Oluchi, decried the poor working conditions that NiMet staff face.
“The welfare of NiMet staff is very poor. In fact, if you come to the aviation industry, NiMet staff are paid less. As I’m talking to you, a level 4 NiMet staff is collecting N31,000 despite the minimum wage that the Federal Government is giving,” she claimed.
