After more than two decades of waiting following the liquidation of the defunct
national carrier, 2,100 former workers of the Nigeria Airways Limited have finally received the payment of their outstanding severance benefits.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who announced this on Friday in Abuja said the payment, which covers beneficiaries in Batches 1 to 7, represents severance benefits due to the affected former employees.
The Minister said the payments for Batches 8 and 9, comprising 600 beneficiaries, were being finalised, with the beneficiaries scheduled to receive their payments in a matter of days.
The latest payment, the Minister said, brings the number of former Nigeria Airways workers covered by the payment to 2,700, with total benefits of ₦18 billion across the nine batches.
“For the beneficiaries and their families, the development brings long awaited relief after years of waiting for an entitlement that, for many, had remained uncertain,” the Minister said..
He said President Bola Tinubu had earlier approved the settlement of the outstanding severance obligations to former Nigeria Airways workers, directing that the long standing matter be brought to a conclusion.
The President’s intervention, he explained, provided the necessary impetus for the Federal Government to move towards resolving the outstanding obligation, to bring relief to the affected former workers.
The minister said under his direction, the relevant processes for identifying eligible beneficiaries, validating records and establishing the financial obligations were pursued, resulting in the commencement of payment to the first seven batches and the readiness of Batches 8 and 9 for immediate payment.
Oyedele said the payment reflects the Federal Government’s determination to address legitimate outstanding obligations and ensure that the welfare of average Nigerians is prioritised.
“Behind these figures are people and families who have waited for years to receive what is legitimately due to them. Our responsibility is to confront outstanding obligations, complete the necessary processes and, once the resources are secured, ensure that the people affected feel the impact of the government positively,” he said.
The Minister said the exercise demonstrates what could be achieved when government institutions work together to resolve longstanding issues, adding that the objective is to ensure that legitimate beneficiaries receive their approved entitlements while maintaining the necessary safeguards around public funds.
The Minister said the Federal Ministry of Finance appreciates the important collaboration of his colleague in the Aviation and Aerospace Development mInistry, Festus Keyamo, whose engagement helped sustain the matter and advance efforts towards its resolution.
Besides, he acknowledged the role played by the Chairmen of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, and Abdullahi Idris Garba, whose active engagements advanced the case of the former Nigeria Airways workers and supported the efforts towards the final settlement.
“The payment process has involved extensive verification of beneficiary records, including biometric capture and validation of personal and banking information, to ensure that funds are paid to the rightful beneficiaries,” the Minister said.
The Director in charge of the Presidential Initiative and Continuous Audit (PICA) Department, Seldam Dangin, said the Ministry was preparing a second phase, a mop up exercise, to capture beneficiaries whose records could not be processed during the first phase.
Dangin said the exercise would focus on updating inaccurate or outdated information, additional biometric verification where necessary and correction of banking details as well as address cases involving deceased beneficiaries, with next of kin or estates required to complete the necessary verification and legal processes before payment.
The mop up exercise, he said, was expected to commence by the end of September or early October, subject to final arrangements.
The commencement of payment to the first seven batches, alongside the readiness of Batches 8 and 9, he said, marks a major step towards resolving the longstanding severance obligation to former Nigeria Airways workers, while the planned mop up would provide an opportunity to resolve outstanding cases, to bring more eligible beneficiaries into the payment process.
