By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
NIGERIA’s MINISTER of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, has convened an emergency meeting with aggrieved staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), following a sweeping strike action that has paralysed flight operations across the country.
The high-level meeting, currently underway in Abuja, brings together top aviation stakeholders, union leaders, and NiMet executives in a bid to resolve deep-rooted grievances over unpaid entitlements, poor remuneration, and deteriorating working conditions.
The closed-door session announced Thursday by the minister’s media adviser, Tunde Moshood, comes amid mounting pressure after NiMet workers downed tools nationwide, leading to the withdrawal of vital weather forecasting services.
The strike, which began on Wednesday, has crippled domestic air travel, grounding flights and stranding passengers in major airports including Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading carrier, has suspended all operations indefinitely, citing the unavailability of critical meteorological data required for safe flight landings and take-offs.
The absence of QNH (barometric pressure) reports has raised major safety concerns, prompting widespread disruption.
Union leaders attending the ministerial talks include representatives from the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals.
Their demands centre on long-standing issues including the non-payment of wage awards, failure to implement previously agreed allowances, and the exclusion of some staff from past entitlements dating back to the 2019 minimum wage implementation.
Speaking to reporters prior to the meeting, one union member, Mr. John, highlighted the income disparity between NiMet staff and employees in similar federal agencies.
“NiMet staff earn far less, yet we deliver essential services across aviation, marine, and agriculture. We are not getting any of the government’s incremental wage packages,” he said.
The unions have also raised alarm over the neglect of staff training programmes and the diversion of funds to executive retreats, further aggravating the workforce.
Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema was captured in a video on Wednesday ordering the airline’s operations to be grounded nationwide.
“If NiMet has not called off the strike, cancel every Air Peace flight now with immediate effect. Look at the kind of weather we’re going into, and we’re flying without guidance?” Onyema said.
The airline later issued a formal statement confirming the suspension of all flights, citing safety concerns due to the unavailability of accurate weather data.
“Your safety is our top priority,” the statement read.
While some domestic carriers like XEJET and Ibom Air continued limited operations, union officials criticised non-compliance with international aviation safety standards.
According to Paul Ogohi of the Amalgamated Union, international airlines such as British Airways and Qatar Airways had suspended their Nigerian operations in line with global regulations.
NiMet’s management has expressed support for the minister’s intervention and pledged to work towards an amicable solution.
A statement issued late Wednesday stated, “Management is not relenting in reaching an amicable resolution with the unions so that normal services will be restored.”
It added that Minister Keyamo’s leadership in convening the stakeholders’ meeting showed commitment to finding common ground.
The scale of the unrest has spotlighted systemic disparities in Nigeria’s aviation sector. Uzor Oluchi, deputy president of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, stated that some NiMet staff earn as little as N31,000 per month despite the federal minimum wage.
She described the agency’s wage structure as “the lowest in the aviation industry.”
Ogohi also painted a bleak picture of worker morale, saying nearly 70 per cent of NiMet forecasters suffer from hypertension due to stress and inadequate conditions. “We are treated like we’re expendable. Our people are dying,” he said.
The unions insist that unless concrete steps are taken by the ministry, the strike will continue indefinitely, with further consequences for Nigeria’s aviation safety and operations.
As the ministerial dialogue unfolds behind closed doors, expectations remain high. The gathering includes the Director General of NiMet, senior officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and representatives of various aviation unions.
For now, flight operations remain in limbo. The meeting’s outcome is expected to determine the next phase in the standoff that has disrupted air travel and laid bare the long-ignored welfare issues facing the nation’s meteorological professionals.
Until a breakthrough is achieved, Nigeria’s skies may remain open — but silent.
