Workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) have officially ended their strike following the intervention of the Federal Government.
The industrial action, which disrupted flight operations across Nigeria was in protest of poor working conditions, including the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, exclusion of certain staff from allowance payments, and lack of access to essential training programmes.
The strike was called off after a crucial meeting with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, held in Abuja. Also present at the meeting were the Director General of NiMET, officials from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and representatives of key aviation unions including the National Union of Transport Employees, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees.
Flight disruptions were widespread, with passengers stranded at major airports such as Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, had earlier grounded all flights citing safety concerns amid the strike. The airline’s CEO, Allen Onyema, emphasized the importance of meteorological data for flight safety.
“If NiMET has not called off the strike, cancel every Air Peace flight now with immediate effect,” Onyema ordered on Wednesday. “People’s lives and the safety of our equipment and our crew are foremost. Suspend all flights nationwide until that strike is over. Safety first.”
With the strike now resolved, flight operations are expected to gradually return to normal.
