- 20-year endless wait over for 2,700 surviving ex-workers, families
BY COBHAM NSA – In a historic bid to heal old wounds and end a grueling 20-year of carrying the heavy burden of broken promises and financial ruin, the Federal Government has formally apologized to former employees of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
Backing this landmark official apology to the long-neglected workers with immediate financial restitution, the government has commenced the disbursement of N18 billion in long-delayed severance packages to approximately 2,700 surviving retirees and their families.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who delivered the apology and shared details of the payout package, acknowledged the agonizing delays and appreciated the retirees for their patience, maintaining that the disbursements are a legal entitlement for their years of service, rather than a gesture of government benevolence.
Oyedele lamented the unfortunate fate that has befallen many of the beneficiaries during the long and endless wait for their entitlements and outstanding payments, saying: “For more than two decades, following the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, many former employees have waited for their outstanding severance benefits. Some have grown old waiting. Some have sadly passed away, leaving their families to pursue what was legitimately due to them”
He said though the settlement could not fully compensate the beneficiaries for more than two decades of waiting, the government had decided to confront inherited obligations rather than allow them to remain unresolved, adding, “We recognise that no payment today can fully compensate for more than two decades of waiting, but it is important that government confronts these long-standing obligations rather than allowing them to remain unresolved for another generation.”
“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 government positively”, the Minister added
Further explaining the disbursement breakdown in Abuja at the weekend, Oydele said 2,100 former employees across batches one through seven have already received their money with another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine are now cleared to receive their funds.
He said this major step follows a direct order from President Bola Tinubu as the current administration seeks to close out the long-standing financial obligation and bring relief to the former aviation workers who lost their livelihoods when the national carrier was liquidated.
Oyedele said to ensure total accuracy, every payment underwent a rigorous vetting process and before a single Naira was released, beneficiaries had to clear comprehensive biometric scans alongside strict validation of their personal and banking credentials.
According to him, this tight security net was vital to locking out fraudsters and guaranteeing that hard-earned funds landed strictly in the right hands, stressing that the verification drive isn’t over as the ministry is now launching a follow-up phase to untangle a web of administrative snags, focusing heavily on outdated profiles, incorrect bank routing, and cases where beneficiaries passed away before receiving their dues.
He said for deceased beneficiaries, the government confirmed that funds will not be lost as the entitlements will be transferred directly to their documented next-of-kin or legal estates, provided they clear the mandatory probate and legal hurdles.
On issues around the severance benefits being adjusted to address current inflation after more than 20 years, the Minister stated that government was only paying the amounts documented and verified, despite acknowledging that inflation had substantially eroded the value of the money over the period but said there was no provision for inflation adjustment in the settlement.
He said with the payments being made in batches so that verified beneficiaries would not wait endlessly while outstanding claims were being processed, the exercise covered different categories of former Nigeria Airways employees, without distinction between junior and senior workers.
Oyedele also stated that the payment is part of a sweeping Federal Government push to clear billions in verified inherited debts, including long-overdue pensions and liabilities owed to local contractors, disclosing that over 12,000 indigenous contractors have already received payouts under the ongoing exercise.
Additionally, the Minister stated that the clearance strategy initially prioritised smaller contractors owed N50 million or less, before expanding to cover verified claims of up to N100 million, even as the government intends to handle massive claims running into billions of Naira separately through targeted negotiations and promissory notes.
For him, this tiered approach is directly targeted at vulnerable small businesses, providing immediate liquidity to help them pay workers and sustain operations, warning contractors to refuse any demands for commissions or bribes from government officials, as any inducement to fast-track verified claims is strictly illegal.
He said to prevent a fresh backlog of unpaid government debts, the federal government is restructuring the national budget to reflect realistic revenues while strictly mandating that all future capital expenditures are backed by verified, liquid funding sources.
With emphasis on a structural shift toward fiscal discipline designed to break Nigeria’s chronic cycle of sovereign debt accumulation, Oyedele assured thus: “We will do our best to ensure that the accumulated obligations of the past do not repeat themselves.”
The Minister, who praised the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for his robust engagement with the Finance Ministry in resolving the matter, also lauded the National Assembly Joint Committees on Aviation for playing an important role through their oversight and engagement on the outstanding benefits.
He said both the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, and Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba, were actively engaged in advancing the case and supporting efforts towards the eventual settlement.
