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Al-Bashir Wakili Abubakar
There is no doubting the fact that Labour rights are sacred. Labour leaders must also understand and appreciate the right of Nigeria and its more than 225 million citizens, to function without being held hostage.
In a sector where safety, precision, and reliability are non-negotiable, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) should be a bastion of stability and not a theatre of where workers’ unions resort to frequent wielding of strike threats like a loaded gun pointed at the nation’s meteorological heart. Such cycle of attempts to disruption is not just unprofessional—it is dangerous, economically costly, and ultimately self-defeating.
Labour disputes are a legitimate part of democratic engagement, but when they become a predictable pattern of threats and blackmail, they simply cross the redline. The frequent strike ultimatums issued by the unions in NiMet, have moved beyond the realm of negotiation into a form of institutional hostage-taking that has the tendency to undermine public trust, aviation safety, and the credibility of the labour movement itself.
NiMet’s role in aviation safety is critical. Accurate weather forecasts are the backbone of flight planning, maritime navigation, and disaster preparedness. Every time workers down tools, the ripple effects are immediate—flight cancellations, economic losses, and heightened safety risks. According to industry estimates, even a 24-hour disruption can cost airlines and related businesses hundreds of billions of naira.
Because labour unions affiliated to NiMet know of the above critical and indispensability of NiMet’s roles, they tend to frequently resort to issuing threat of strike as a blackmail tool to trigger panic mode in management. The Unions have done this several times, especially since Prof. Charles Anosike assumed office as the agency’s Director General/CEO.
The situation raises much concern, knowing that NiMet Unions did not resort to this level of blackmail and threat during the tenure of past managements, even when they suffered neglects in terms of welfare, training and other incentives.
As stated earlier, industrial action is a legitimate tool for labour unions when used responsibly, but NiMet unions have developed a pattern: issue a strike threat, extract concessions, suspend action, and repeat. This cycle erodes goodwill, undermines genuine grievances, and creates a perception that the agency’s workforce is more interested in brinkmanship than in service delivery.
Before President Bola Tinubu came to office in 2023, Nigeria’s aviation sector endured many challenges including infrastructure deficits and regulatory bottlenecks. Since he assumed office, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Barrister Festus Keyamo, SAN, has faced these challenges squarely and has succeeded in transforming the sector to become one of the best in Africa which is attracting much accolades from within and outside the country.
On his part, Prof. Anosike, transformed NiMet into a digital giant, leading to enhancement of climate and weather services as well as advancement in early warning systems, thereby repositioning the agency as a strategic institution for national development.
These achievements are coming, in addition to unprecedented welfare initiatives of the current management for staff of the agency, who hitherto, were denied training opportunities and other benefits. For example, the federal government has in the past four months, approved three key welfare packages for the workers, following. The approvals came after due requests by Anosike’s management and support by the supervising minister.
The approvals include the Reviewed Scheme of Service, described as a landmark and progressive move that would further amplify momentum to the ongoing rebirth and secure fair wages, with the overall aim of empowering Nigeria to achieve its target on climate and weather; the Unified Salary Structure which was approved alongside an Updated Condition of Service, part of the newly approved request that took effect June 1st marking a formal adjustment to the remuneration framework for the agency’s personnel.
Apart from the above approvals- all gained this year alone for the workers, the management has implemented the vexing issues raised by the Unions, even though they were inherited by the administration of President Bola Tinubu and the NiMet management. A few of the landmark cases already sorted out by management include furniture, salary relativity, minimum wage arrears paid to the 2025 promoted staff, 45 months arrears which was the first agitation when Professor Anosike took over as well as training and retraining of workers. All these are in addition to Amendment of NiMet Act, to boost recoveries.[
In his 1875 famous Critique of the Gotha Program, Karl Marx popularized a maxim that said- “From each according to his ability to each according to his need,” advocating that citizens should contribute to society based on their talents and capacities as a broader vision of equitable distribution. By that article, Marx also drew attention to an older moral principle of reciprocity- “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.”
Considering the massive achievements recorded by the current management and the several welfare packages extended to workers, what the agency deserves, is a peaceful, conducive work environment to enable it deliver the next kindred of milestones. as a gesture of gratitude the unions should rather guide workers to be more loyal, dedicated and committed, rather than resentment, blackmail and outright threats.
Perhaps, there is a need to recall that NiMet workers, through these same Unions, had in 2024, commended Prof. Anosike-led management for what they described as unprecedent welfare packages being enjoyed under the current management, saying ‘they have never had it so good.’
It was therefore surprising that in January 2025, just a few months after their commendation, the same Unions served strike warning on the management, leading to several meetings and negotiations before the strike was suspended.
The latest moves by the Unions to harass the management wears the same uniform. This time, the unions bypassed management and wrote to the Honourable Minister, requesting for a meeting. In the letter, they threatened to embark on strike if some conditions were not met.
The above is in addition to available information that they wrote to their parent body, with the same threat to embark on strike.
There is an urgent need for NiMet unions to know that their frequent resort to threat to go on strike may send the wrong signal to international partners, investors, and travellers. In an industry where reliability is currency, such attempts to destabilize the system is reputationally damaging and therefore condemnable.
NiMet Unions should rather reciprocate the gentle-man’s approach of the agency’s CEO who has consistently preached peace and industrial harmony by giving the workers their due rights, rather than resort to ‘carrot and stick’ method that is also available for the authorities him.
The Unions should see themselves as partners in progress, embrace structured dialogue and long-term agreements approach, rather than perpetual brinkmanship through frequent resort to blackmail and threat.
On its part, the federal government should effectively enforce Labour laws in Nigeria to prevent workers of essential service -providing agencies like NiMet, from holding the nation hostage.
*Mallam Al-Bashir Wakili Abubakar, a meteorologist, climate researcher and agriculture extension Officer, writes from Damaturu in Yobe State
