Flight activities, including those of Air Peace, are being disrupted at local airports as workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) stage protests over poor working conditions.
The strike, which has lingered into day 2, sees passengers on scheduled local flights stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and others.
Air Peace passengers were informed that the airline had made the decision not to fly due to safety issues.
In a video obtained by Channels Television on Wednesday, Air Peace’s Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, was heard ordering for cancellation of flights nationwide.
“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,” Onyema was heard instructing one of his managers over the phone in a terse tone.
Reports said that at the Lagos airport, XEJET, Aero Contractors, and Ibom Air operated as scheduled on Wednesday, while Air Peace did not.
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).
NiMet workers shut down the weather centres at airports and withdrew all meteorological services nationwide on Wednesday over their welfare.
The strike officially began at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, with NiMet staff and union members walking around the airport premises holding placards and announcing the withdrawal of their services.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, one of the members of the unions, Mr John, said: “The situation is bad for us here in NiMet. In terms of our welfare, the salary package and everything are very low compared to our sister agency. You can see a management staff member in NiMet collecting N470,000, while someone in the sister agency earns about N1.2 million.
“Any increment the federal government is making, we are not getting it. We provide more sensitive services than even our sister agency, but our welfare package is so poor that it cannot cover transportation, rent, or even our children’s school fees.
“We provide services like agro-meteorology, marine, and transportation for all industries. We offer services to them, yet our welfare is too poor. So we are calling on the government to look into our case.”
On the level of airline disruption, the secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Paul Ogohi, condemned the conduct of some domestic airlines, while also highlighting the toll the current system was taking on NiMet staff.
He said, “Other international airlines have parked and are keeping strictly to the regulations of ICAO. British Airways has complied, and Qatar Airways has also suspended operations. But the problem we are facing is with Nigerian airlines and their pilots. These rules are meant to govern aviation operations, but we, the locals, are the ones violating these standards. It’s not right.
“We should discourage it and condemn it entirely. It’s unacceptable. This kind of thing only happens in Nigeria. You can see that unprecedented deaths are occurring in NiMet, as if we are chickens. Nearly 70 per cent of our staff forecasters have high blood pressure.
“We are appealing to the Minister to please come to our aid. We are seeing changes, but those changes should extend to NiMet because we are suffering.”
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.
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.