Lagos, Nigeria – A work stoppage by employees at Nigeria’s weather forecasting agency on Thursday grounded dozens of flights, leaving travellers stranded in Africa’s most populous country before it was later called off.
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) workers went on an “indefinite strike” earlier in the week demanding better working conditions.
The strike action forced at least two domestic airlines, including the country’s largest, Air Peace, to cancel all domestic flights scheduled for Thursday.
Later that evening, a spokesman for Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo — who met with a slew of industry unions Thursday — said on social media the strike had been suspended. Keyamo also reposted the news of the suspension on his X account.
Air Peace operates more than 20 domestic routes, 10 regional routes and flies to several international routes including to Europe, according to its website.
An official at the NG Eagle airline told AFP earlier in the day that the disruption had meant that it couldn’t guarantee operations resuming on Friday.
However, other local airlines had continued flying Thursday despite the strike.
Commercial law expert Ifeanyi Ejiofor blamed the government for “negligence and complacency” which he said led to the forecasters’ industrial action.
“This is not just irresponsible — it is a dangerous dereliction of duty,” he said in a social media post.
“The cascading effect has been immediate and devastating: flight disruptions, stranded passengers, halted business engagements, and enormous financial losses,” he added.
© Agence France-Presse
