Nigerian govt pays nearly four-year minimum wage arrears to NiMet workers

The Nigerian Government has paid the outstanding 45-month minimum wage arrears owed to employees of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet.

This is according to a statement on Monday by the Secretary of NiMet Union Joint Action Committee, Okechukwu Nwokoro.

Reacting to the development, the Director General of NiMet, Prof Charles Anosike, expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and lawmakers for making the payment possible.

“Mr President has demonstrated once again that he is a worker-friendly President. The issue of the unpaid 45-month wage arrears predates this administration, but still, Mr President has cleared the outstanding,” he said.

The unpaid arrears, which date back to 2019, had created tension among NiMet management and its staff, leading to frequent clashes with labor unions.

Last year, the situation almost escalated into industrial action, as the unions had planned to go on strike on May 20, 2024.

However, the strike was averted at the last minute following an intervention by the House Committee on Aviation Technology and their Senate counterpart.

An agreement was reached on May 19, 2024, during a special session convened by the House Committee on Aviation Technology, led by its Chairman, Abiodun Akinlade, with NiMet management and union representatives in attendance.