Tension in NIMET as union tackles mgt over workers’ welfare

Aviation professionals in the country have petitioned the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, complaining about gross neglect and lopsidedness in the workers’ welfare, postings, promotions and employments at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET).

The professionals under the aegis of Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) in a letter addressed to Amaechi, said that the irregular employments, promotions of junior officers above their seniors to constant indiscriminate filling of vacant positions from outside the agency without internal and external advertisements of such vacant positions as required by law is unbecoming and disturbing in the industry.

In the letter signed by the Secretary-General, Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu, ANAP said that in the past years, various directors-general and chief executive officers of NiMet has openly violated the Public Service Rule through the aforementioned activities carried out on the basis of demographic representation or political sentiments, thereby placing the existing serving career officers in the agency at serious disadvantage, their long years in service notwithstanding.

ANAP in the official statement made available to journalists complained  that a lot of long serving meteorologists were cheated in 2005, saying: “In 2005, for example, the then CEO and his management team carried out an employment exercise for fresh meteorologists to G1.08 with First Degree to complement the workforce of the agency at that time, but to the surprise of everyone, they placed some of their candidates with same first degree as others on G1.09, that is a grade level higher without any justification.”

Lamenting how the director general, Professor Abubakar SanniMashi on resumption of office failed to respond to a letter sent to him on the injustice, ANAP declared:” Unfortunately up till this moment, the DG/CEO has not responded to ANAP letter, instead he also decided to take advantage of recent filling of vacant directorship positions in the various directorates of the agency by the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) to issue out letters of promotion to some selected staff of the agency, some of whom were promoted from GL.15 assistant General Managers (AGMs) to GL.17 General Managers (GM).

“We are calling on concerned federal Government authorities to immediately look into NiMet nominal roll duly attached for ease of reference for correct placements and repositioning of NiMet staff otherwise, the union should not be held responsible for whatever action deem fit in protest of illegalities already perpetrated to deprive the workers by the management”.

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