FG pays ₦18bn severance benefits to 2,700 former Nigeria Airways workers

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (Agency Report) — The Federal Government has paid ₦18 billion in severance benefits to 2,700 former Nigeria Airways workers, more than two decades after the national carrier was liquidated.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this on Friday at a press briefing in Abuja.

Oyedele said 2,100 beneficiaries in batches one to seven had been paid, while payments to another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine were being finalised.

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“Today is about much more than the payment of money, it is about people, dignity, trust, and the responsibility of government to honour legitimate obligations to its citizens.

“For more than two decades, following the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, many former employees have waited for the outstanding severance benefits.

“Today, I am pleased to inform you that following the directive of President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government have now paid 2,100 former Nigeria Airways workers,” he said.

The minister said the payments represented ₦18 billion for 2,700 former workers, acknowledging the lengthy delay in settling the government’s obligation to the former employees.

He said the intervention formed part of efforts to address legitimate inherited obligations and place people at the centre of public finance.

According to Oyedele, the Nigeria Airways exercise involved extensive verification, including biometric capture and validation of beneficiaries’ personnel and banking information.

He said the government was also addressing cases involving outdated records, incorrect banking details and deceased beneficiaries whose families needed to complete the required processes.

“We are determined to deal with these obligations in a fair, transparent, and orderly manner.

“As we are able to secure resources subject to proper verification, we must protect public funds from fraudulent claims.

“We must ensure that genuine beneficiaries are not denied what is legitimately theirs,” he said.

Oyedele said the government’s first step was to meet obligations based on documented and verified records.

He noted that inflation had reduced the value of money over time, but said any adjustment beyond the documented obligation would require separate consideration.

The minister said benefits due to deceased beneficiaries would be paid to their next of kin, beneficiaries or estates, subject to the required legal processes.

He added that the government was providing support to affected families to enable them complete the necessary procedures and access the benefits.

Oyedele explained that payments were being made in batches because the government had chosen to pay beneficiaries whose records had been fully validated.

“Government cannot pay claims merely because individuals present themselves as beneficiaries without completing the verification process,” he said.

The minister said the government was also addressing outstanding obligations to pensioners and indigenous contractors as part of its wider fiscal reforms.

He said smaller contractors had been prioritised, with government initially paying those owed ₦50 million or less, followed by those owed ₦100 million or less.

(NAN)