Aviation sector workers under the aegis of several powerful unions have embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike, bringing operations at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to a halt. The strike, which commenced at midnight on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, is in protest of what the unions have described as persistently poor remuneration and the agency management’s failure to uphold a critical agreement reached earlier this year.
In a joint statement issued by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), the unions expressed deep frustration over NiMet management’s alleged breach of an agreement signed on January 28, 2025.
The unions decried the agency’s inaction, highlighting the severe economic difficulties faced by workers as a result. “Our unions have strived strenuously over the past few years to alleviate the exceedingly unjust remunerations conundrum that has visited extreme poverty and consequent untold hardship on NiMet workers,” the statement read. “These efforts have been largely without substantial results.”
Describing the situation as an “unacceptable elongation of suffering,” the unions accused NiMet of paying lip service to workers’ welfare while staff continue to endure financial hardship.
With immediate effect, the unions have ordered a total withdrawal of services by all NiMet personnel nationwide, declaring the strike will continue until their demands are met. They have also instructed all branches and state councils to mobilize and ensure complete adherence to the strike action.
The statement was jointly signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba (NUATE), Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saldu (ANAP), and Comrade Sikiru Waheed (AUPCTRE), who called on the federal government to intervene decisively. They stressed the need for urgent action to deliver fair compensation and to enforce the fulfilment of all agreements reached with the unions.
As the strike takes effect, disruptions in meteorological services may ripple across the aviation industry and beyond, raising concerns about safety, weather forecasting, and the functioning of critical national infrastructure.
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