Dispute Over Revenue Remittance Triggers Nationwide Protest by NiMet Workers, Threatens Airport Operations
A protracted financial disagreement between the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is set to disrupt flight operations across the country, as NiMet workers have declared a nationwide protest scheduled to commence at 6:00 am on Wednesday. The industrial action, announced by the NiMet Unions Joint Action Committee, is predicated on NAMA's alleged refusal to remit the statutory 10 percent of en-route and overflight charges due to NiMet, a requirement that has been in force for years.
The unions, whose members provide essential meteorological services including weather briefings for pilots before take-off and landing, stated that the protest became necessary after NAMA consistently failed to honour a direct directive from the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo. The minister had earlier intervened in the dispute by ordering NAMA to settle the outstanding remittance within 48 hours, but according to the unions, the agency disregarded that instruction entirely.
A copy of the protest notice, obtained on Sunday, was jointly signed by the secretaries of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies. The notice directed all NiMet personnel to stage a peaceful demonstration at every NiMet office nationwide, while accusing NAMA of deliberately impairing both staff welfare and the operational efficiency of the meteorological agency. The unions further asserted that the non-remittance had already paralysed routine activities within aerodromes.
The decision to escalate the matter was formalised during a Joint Union Congress meeting held on June 15, where members resolved to proceed with a nationwide protest if payment was not effected within one week. The unions warned that their patience had been exhausted, and that the minister had been duly apprised of NAMA's non-compliance. Although the action is framed as peaceful, its ramifications are considerable, given NiMet's indispensable role in flight planning, aircraft dispatch, and critical take-off and landing operations at all Nigerian airports.
Copies of the protest notice have been forwarded to the Minister, the Director-General of NiMet, and other relevant authorities. Meanwhile, attempts to obtain a response from NAMA proved fruitless, as calls and messages directed to the agency's publicist, Abdullahi Musa, were not returned at the time of this report.