Nigeria’s aviation industry is plagued with underfunding, brain drain and limited opportunities for growth for pilots and engineers in the sector over the last 40 years.
Capt. Ibrahim Yunusa stated this in his presentation at the 40th anniversary conference of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, at the weekend.
He spoke just as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) threatened to go on strike over unresolved issues.
Indeed, barring a last-minute change, NiMeT workers may embark on industrial action over the “lingering unresolved issues” concerning welfare and non-compliance with official circulars by the management.
The agitation is being spearheaded by three unions, namely the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), who have jointly petitioned their national secretariats to activate the previously suspended industrial strike within two weeks.
The letter with the title, ‘Urgent Intervention on NiMeT Lingering Issues,’ dated September 15, 2025, was signed by the General Secretaries, Ibrahim Hisham, Akagi Nyaluaziba and Okerafor Romeo, of AUPCTRE, NUATE and ANAP of Nimet, respectively, with the reference number: NJAC/015/AUPCTRE/NUATE/ANAP and obtained by our correspondent, itemised the various demands of the workers.The two-week deadline ends today.
NAAPE’s conference had the theme: ’40 Years of Working for Sustainable Aviation Safety.’
Participants at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) also elected Capt. Bunmi Gindeh of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) as the new President of NAAPE.
Yunusa, in his keynote address at the conference, said that 40 years after the birth of NAAPE, the industry in Nigeria had witnessed improvements, but lamented that the progress had been stunted.
According to him, the lack of even manpower development had created reduced opportunities for pilots and engineers in the sector to advance to global levels of certification and expertise.
Yunusa, who was also a pilot with the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, noted that weather monitoring and reporting were still inadequate, while infrastructure maintenance often lacked international expectations.
