Aviation Unions Call For Self Funding For NiMET, NiMET Act Amendment

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical & Recreational Services and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) have called for salary relativity, amendment of the Act setting up Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and self funding for the agency.

A statement jointly singed by Sikiru Waheed, AUPCTRE General Secretary, Saidu Rasaq, ANAP General Secretary and Ocheme Aba, NUATE General Secretary says the long term solution to the crisis in the agency is that “the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission must now emplace a more robust and comparable CONMETSS as a Federal Government approved salary scale to which all future Federal government salary enhancements must be automatically applied by IPPIS.

An even longer lasting solution is to bring about aviation sector salary relativity between NiMet and other aviation government Agencies, like the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and others. It is pathetic that while the salaries of the Agencies which depend on the services of NiMet continue to steadily advance, that of NiMet continues to slide backwards. This is appalling and definitely unacceptable and must be corrected without further delay. This is our most important demand.

Without prejudice to all the above, it is our well-considered view that the ultimate solution to the perennial NiMet remuneration crisis is the enabling of the Agency towards self-sufficiency and self-funding. This will grant the Agency freedom from the yoke of IPPIS and allow the Agency free hand to remunerate its own staff on the basis of its financial capacity. For this to happen, the Agency has to have the enablement to receive fees for its services directly from those who utilize those services in all sectors of the economy. And for this to happen, the enabling Act of NiMet has to undergo significant amendment. We are therefore, happy to note that the Management of NiMet has already initiated this process to the extent that the Amendment has already been listed at the National Assembly.”

Highlighting the history of neglect of NiMET staff welfare over the years and the importance of NiMET staff to aviation, maritime and other sectors of the economy, the unions said: “Is it not then such an awful irony that an Agency such as NiMet that plays such a vital and critical part in the economic and social life of the country could habour staff who are among the worst, if not actually the worst, remunerated in the entire public service? More heart-breaking is the fact over the years, most public service salary elevations have been denied NiMet workers; and we just do not understand why, considering that the staff are paid salaries directly by the Federal Government through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).”

The unions had earlier issued a notice of intention to withdraw services to the Management of NiMet from February 4, 2025. The management and the unions held a meeting on Monday January 27, 2025 at the instance of the management and arrived at some agreements. However, the unions say they are doubtful “whether the Management can deliver on the promise the agreement holds? This question is necessary because through this agreement, it can be seen easily that the remuneration issues are not exactly within the handling of the Management of NiMet, but basically in the hands of the Federal Government, through its salary payment platform, IPPIS. Therefore, the workability of the agreements is largely dependent on the operators of IPPIS and all its processing agents – the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Planning (Budget Office) and those who work at IPPIS itself. So, obviously, not yet uhuru.”

The statement narrates that “from the post-colonial era, the agency was mere quasi-independent departments in the various regional governments, through the time it was a full department in the Ministry of Aviation as METS, until it settled in its present form as a full-fledged Agency in the same Ministry in 2003. What this means is that the Agency suffered severely from improper parenting.

By the time NiMet arrived in the Aviation Ministry, it had lost serious ground on physical development. Therefore, its early minders were entirely engulfed with provision of modern working tolls and human capacity development, and almost completely forgot about the workers’ living conditions. Thus, NiMet remunerations suffered stunted development over the years; the reason it has been left behind by all its peers.

Second is the fact of the Agency’s workers’ maltreatment by the Federal Government’s salary management agents, particularly the NSIWC. The agency’s salary scheme known as CONMETSS does not enjoy the compliments that the NSIWC accords other Federal Government salary schemes. As such, all Federal Government salary enhancements over the years have not been applied to NiMet. So, unlike the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria which is also salaried under IPPIS, and which has enjoyed all minimum wage increases over the years, NiMet has enjoyed none. Only miserable crumbs have been given to NiMet after successive strenuous efforts by the workers and their unions. This is because of the lack of status of NiMet’s CONMETSS as against CONTENDISS, CONCAS, COMESS and CONHESS, all applicable at NCAT, a fellow aviation agency.

We are completely at a loss as to why one government agency will enjoy a privilege and another is denied same without a reason. This is why all wage awards approved by the current federal administration have been denied to NiMet. Even when recently the Federal Government approved a 40% salary abridgement grant to harmonise disadvantaged public service organizations, NiMet was again agonizingly denied. If this is not man’s inhumanity to man, then nothing is.

Third is the sad fact that past managements of NiMet in succession exhibited nonchalant, weak hearted and unfocused attitudes towards this important matter, resulting in what has now grown into a conundrum and a heavy cross for the present management and staff of the Agency.

From the foregoing, it can be deduced that past shortsighted actions and inactions brought us to the present sorry state; and in order to ameliorate the resulting conundrum, the following corrective measures must be carried out conscientiously which require compassion and open mindedness from all concerned, but particularly the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

Immediate implementation and payment of all outstanding federal government approvals to NiMet workers, including balance payments of the 2019 Minimum wage consequential adjustments to the remaining 30 workers. Actions are required by some personnel in the Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office and IPPIS in this regard; Implementation of the 25-35% Federal Government wage award for NiMet staff. Action is required by the NSIWC; Implementation of the 40% Peculiar Allowance for harmonization of public service salary scales. Action is required by NSIWC; Approval and release of NiMet Scheme of Service by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and Urgent conclusion and expedited approval of NiMet reviewed Conditions of Service.

Our Unions are of the strong opinion that if the above humble demands are met, the perennial problem of the cries for justice by NiMet staff will become a thing of the past, and along with it, the persistent industrial crisis at NiMet.”

The unions explained that “a serious crisis at NiMet, such as its services being shut down, has serious society wide implications – particularly for safe operations in aviation and maritime and for food security. Therefore, our Unions deserve credit for the effort to keep services ongoing in the face of the unabating onslaught on the economic wellbeing of NiMet staff over the years. But, this cannot continue. The intensity of the abject poverty the staff have been reduced to, has become unbearable. The stench of the injustice meted to NiMet staff has reached high heavens and the cries for help from the staff must now be harkened to. Otherwise, something will definitely give way. We, as trade unions cannot hold on any longer.

This is why we use this medium to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through the Aviation Minister, Barr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) for urgent interventions to clean up the mess at NiMet and bring about aviation sector salary relativity. The renewed and reinvigorated commitment of the new Management of NiMet gives us hope that the end of this saga can be achieved. Our Unions are equally committed to working with Management towards resolving these issues in the best possible way to achieve the objectives set out here. But, the strong hands of the Minister and Mr. President are direly needed to foreclose the matter. We sincerely appeal to President Tinubu to hearken to this call as there is no other way.”

The unions therefore announced the review of the service withdrawal notice earlier served, suspending the strike earlier scheduled for February 4, 2025 to allow time for the necessary interface by the Management of NiMet with all the relevant parties in government for the purpose of meeting their demands.