Abuja – Flight operations were disrupted in major airports across Nigeria on Monday as local aviation workers began a warning strike, leaving domestic travellers stranded.
The two-day industrial action by aviation unions in the country followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Nigerian government regarding the non-implementation of minimum wage adjustments and unpaid wages at the Nigeria Meteorological Agency since 2019, as well as the immediate release of a reviewed condition of service.
In Lagos, the country's economic hub, passengers were left stranded by the disruption in flight schedules, and business owners and their employees could not gain access to their workplaces in the Murtala Muhammed International Airport terminal.
Aviation workers have also demanded the halt of the planned demolition of aviation agency buildings for an airport expansion project in Lagos.
In a statement, the management of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, advised travellers to make contingency plans.
The Nigerian government on Monday called for an end to the strike, saying apart from causing immense disruption to air travel across the country, the development had brought untold hardship to domestic travellers.
Odutayo Oluseyi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation, referred to the grievances prompting the strike by the unions as “issues that should not lead to a strike”, noting that if prolonged, the strike might cause further hardship to citizens, “affect flight schedules, lead to economic losses, and negatively impact our rating globally”.
Read the latest issue of IOL Travel digital magazine here.