Retirees of the defunct Nigeria Airways have lamented the Federal Government’s failure to pay their outstanding N36 billion pension arrears, 22 years after the airline was liquidated.
The pensioners, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and direct the release of the approved funds.
Speaking during a peaceful protest in Lagos, the group’s spokesperson, Olufemi Ashogbon, said many former workers have been abandoned to hardship and sickness since the national carrier was shut down in 2003.
He noted that despite the President’s approval of the payment last year, the Ministry of Finance has yet to release the funds.
Ashogbon said repeated letters sent to the finance ministry had produced no concrete response, while several pensioners continue to die waiting for their entitlements.
According to him, many retirees are bedridden and struggling to survive after dedicating their productive years to Nigeria’s aviation industry.
In a communiqué signed by former President of Aircraft Pilot and Engineer, Kyari Ayuba, and former Director of Finance, Bose Oluwo, the union recalled that about 6,000 workers lost their jobs when Nigeria Airways was liquidated in 2004 without full severance benefits.
The group added that while foreign nationals received complete payments in line with international labour standards, many Nigerian workers were left unpaid.
The retirees explained that the total settlement initially agreed upon was N78 billion, but partial payments over the years reduced the balance to N36 billion.
They appealed to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Finance to urgently release the outstanding benefits, stressing that most affected workers are now between 65 and 101 years old and deserve dignity after years of service to the nation.