Flights Grounded In Nigerian Airport As Workers Protest, Issue One-Month Ultimatum

• The aviation sector in Nigeria is undergoing turbulent times as industrial actions threaten to disrupt flight schedules
• Workers embarked on a protest in one of the Nigerian airports today, causing major flight disruptions
• The workers have issued a one-month ultimatum to the management and released a list of demands to be met

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

Workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) commenced an indefinite strike by midnight on Tuesday, April 22, 2024.

The union directed the workers to withdraw their services in airports across the country from midnight.

The decision was reached after the NIMET management failed to respond adequately to the recently issued ultimatum which expired on April 16, 2025.

The impact of their actions has, however, reached new levels as reports say that a protest happened on Wednesday at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State, with NiMET workers at that chapter protesting the delay to implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000.

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Air travellers stranded over flight disruptions

The PUNCH reports that several air travellers were left stranded as the protest caused several flights to be delayed, and others were cancelled.

An airport staff member explained that given the role of the NiMET staff to provide real-time data and predictions on the weather to the pilots, many flights could not proceed as scheduled.

Speaking on the matter, the Northwest Zonal Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees, Timothy Meshelia, stated that the protest was the workers way of expressing their grievances over unpaid allowances, non-implementation of the minimum wage, neglecting training programmes for the staff, and several others.

The association has also issued a one-month ultimatum to NiMET to implement the new minimum wage or expect full-on industrial action from the workers.

Among other things, they are also demanding the inclusion of a subsistence allowance as was previously agreed with the unions.

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has yet to issue an official statement about the protest.

Why airport workers went on strike

Recall that just yesterday, several airport unions issued a joint statement containing their grievances with the management.

The letter, jointly signed by the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, the Union of Air Transport Employees, and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical, and Recreational Services Employees, stated that NiMET refused to honor earlier reached agreements.

The workers complained of remunerations that do not compare with those of their peers, as well as the delay in the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Aviation unions set to proceed on strike

In related news, Legit.ng reported that aviation unions had earlier threatened the federal government that they would embark on a strike.

Speaking under the auspices of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the unions told the airport workers to be ready to proceed on strike once they issue a directive.

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The unions also released a list of demands concerning the federal government's decision to concession several airports across the country without consulting the unions.

Source: Legit.ng