The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is currently holding a high-level closed-door meeting with aviation union leaders, the Permanent Secretary, and heads of aviation agencies in Abuja, as efforts intensify to end the ongoing strike that has crippled operations at airports across the country.
The emergency meeting, convened at short notice, comes amid widespread disruptions in flight schedules and aviation services, now in their second day, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano.
Representatives of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) present include Comrade Ochema Abba, General Secretary, and Comrade Oluchi, Deputy President. Also attending are officials from the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), led by Comrade Alale Adebayo, President General, and Comrade Ambore Samson, Chairman, Vanguard reports.
Keyamo, addressing attendees at the start of the meeting, said: “We are taking this seriously. I’m here with all relevant agencies to listen, to act, and to find common ground. We will resolve this soon.”
While the Unions have yet to publicly state their specific demands, sources close to the negotiation say key issues include unpaid allowances, welfare concerns, and the Government’s failure to implement previous agreements.
The industrial action has caused major disruptions in both domestic and international air travel, with industry stakeholders warning that further delays in resolution could deepen the crisis.
Travellers across the country continue to express frustration as airlines cancel or delay flights, and essential ground operations remain suspended.
The meeting was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, MJConcept TV News had earlier reported on Wednesday that operations at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) came to a standstill on Wednesday as workers embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike, halting all meteorological services across the country.
Some workers reportedly spent the night at agency premises to ensure a total shutdown.
“The situation is bad for us here in NiMet,” one worker lamented.
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 N1.2million.”
According to the protesting staff, multiple pleas for improved conditions have been ignored despite their critical role in national safety and development.
“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,” the worker added.