Aviation Minister Holds Emergency Talks with NiMet Executives Amid Nationwide Strike
In response nationwide strike by staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, is currently holding a closed-door meeting with the agency’s top executives.
Tunde Moshood, the minister’s special adviser on media and communications, confirmed the meeting in a post on social media platform X on Thursday, stating, “The Hon. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, is in a closed-door meeting with the executives of striking NiMet workers. Details will be released soon.”
The emergency meeting comes just one day after NiMet workers launched an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare grievances. The employees cited the agency’s failure to implement agreed financial allowances, outstanding entitlements from the 2019 minimum wage review, and the non-payment of peculiar wage awards as key reasons for their industrial action.
Further fueling tensions, staff members also accused NiMet’s management of withholding critical documents, overlooking requests to include previously omitted staff in back payments, and sidelining essential training programs while prioritizing executive retreats.
The strike has already triggered significant disruptions in the aviation sector. Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace, announced the suspension of all its flight operations nationwide, attributing the decision to the unavailability of QNH reports—vital meteorological data necessary for safe aircraft landings.
The unfolding situation has raised concerns over air safety and operational stability, with industry stakeholders and passengers anxiously awaiting the outcome of the minister’s intervention.
