Keyamo Meets NiMET Workers Over Strike Disrupting Flight Operations

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, recently met with protesting workers from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) in Abuja. The workers have been protesting due to inadequate working conditions.

The key purpose of the meeting was to discuss the workers’ grievances, including the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, the exclusion of certain staff from past allowances, and the neglect of crucial training programs, among other concerns.

The meeting was attended by the Director General of NiMET, officials from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), representatives from the National Union of Transport Employees (NUTE), and other essential stakeholders.

The meeting began with a brief opening session before moving into a closed-door discussion. Various unions, including the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, were present at the meeting.

This ongoing strike by NiMET workers has caused significant disruptions to flight operations at local airports. The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, announced the cancellation of all flights nationwide due to the strike, which began two days ago. In a viral video, Onyema expressed his concerns, emphasizing the safety of passengers, crew, and equipment:

“If NiMET has not called off the strike, cancel every Air Peace flight now with immediate effect. People’s lives and the safety of our equipment and our crew are foremost. I don’t care if other airlines are flying. Suspend every Air Peace flight nationwide. Look at the thunderstorm everywhere. Look at the kind of weather we are going into, and NiMET, which is supposed to provide these things, is on strike, and we are flying. Suspend all flights with immediate effect, until further notice, until that strike is over, safety first.”