Flight operations, including Air Peace, don suffer serious wahala for airports across Nigeria as workers of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) begin protest because of bad working conditions.
Di strike don enter day two, and passengers wey suppose fly local flights don dey stranded for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for Abuja, Murtala Muhammed Airport for Lagos, and other places.
Air Peace passengers hear say di airline decide not to fly again for now because of safety reasons.
For one video wey show on Wednesday, Air Peace CEO, Allen Onyema, dey give strong order say make dem cancel all Air Peace flights for di whole country.
“If NiMET never stop di strike, cancel every Air Peace flight now-now. People life and di safety of our equipment and crew na di most important.
“I no care whether other airlines dey fly. Suspend all Air Peace flights across Nigeria. See thunderstorm everywhere. See di kind weather wey we wan enter, and NiMET wey suppose dey give us updates don go on strike, and we wan fly like say nothing dey happen? Suspend all flights immediately, until further notice. Safety first,” Onyema talk for phone call with one of him managers.
Reports come show say for Lagos airport, airlines like XEJET, Aero Contractors, and Ibom Air still operate on Wednesday, but Air Peace no fly.
Air Peace later drop official statement for their X (Twitter) page. Di Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, talk say because of NiMET strike and say no weather report (CNH) wey dem need for safe landing, dem suspend all flights nationwide.
“Your safety na our top priority. We thank una for understanding and we go update una as things dey go,” di statement talk.
To handle di matter, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, don call for meeting with di NiMET union wey dey strike. Di meeting go happen today, Thursday.
NiMET workers shut down weather centres for all airports and withdraw their services on Wednesday because of welfare issues.
Di strike start officially by 7:00 AM on Wednesday. NiMET staff and union members waka round airport with placards, dey talk say dem don stop work.
One union member, Mr. John, talk for airport say: “Di situation for NiMET bad. Our salary and welfare package no reach at all. Person wey dey management level for here dey collect N470,000, while for sister agency, dem dey earn N1.2 million.
“Anytime federal government increase salary, e no dey reach us. Meanwhile, we dey do more sensitive work than dem. We dey do agro-meteorology, marine, and transport forecasts, but our pay no fit cover transport, house rent, or children school fees.
“We dey call government to help us. Make dem look into our case.”
Di secretary of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Paul Ogohi, also blast some Nigerian airlines, say dem no dey follow proper aviation safety rules during di strike.
“Other international airlines like British Airways and Qatar Airways don suspend flights. But na Nigerian airlines and their pilots dey break rules. E no good.
“NiMET staff dey die like chicken. Almost 70% of our forecasters get high blood pressure. We dey beg di Minister, make e help us. We see small changes, but make dem remember NiMET too—we dey suffer.”
Deputy President of National Union of Air Transport Employees, Uzor Oluchi, talk say working condition for NiMET staff bad well-well.
“NiMET staff dey collect small money. Level 4 staff dey collect N31,000 despite minimum wage wey federal government talk about,” she talk.
Even with all di wahala, NiMET management say dem still dey work to settle di matter.
“Management never give up. We dey try settle with di unions make normal service return. Di Minister, Festus Keyamo SAN, wey don dey support, don arrange meeting with everybody for Thursday, April 24, 2025. We dey hope say di unions go listen. Person no suppose wound imself because e vex,” NiMET talk.
