Ex-workers of defunct Nigeria Airways have called for the immediate release of N36 billion severance benefits approved for the retired workers in 2025.
The retirees, who raised an alarm over a plot to frustrate the release of the money, called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and save more retired personnel from dying by directing the Accountant General’s Office to release their entitlements.
The ex-workers at a briefing led by retired Capt. Prex Porbeni, lamented the plight of the former staff, describing the situation as frustrating.
He is of the opinion that after being approved by the President and subsequently by the Ministry of Finance, ‘the Office of the Accountant General may be sabotaging payment while the staff die waiting for their entitlements.
The workers lamented that since the first tranche of N42 billion out of N78 biloiin was paid in 2018, about 600 ex-staff had died.
“We should be pushing the Accountant General of the Federation to obey President Tinubu, the Accountant General should be held responsible for this. What we learnt this morning is that after the approval, the Minister of Finance authorized payment and sent to the office of the Accountant General, we see this delay as sabotage.
“We are pleading with the President who had graciously approved the money to issue a deadline executive order for the prompt payment of the money. We therefore respectfully appeal through this media briefing to all relevant authorities and well-meaning Nigerians to help draw urgent attention to this humanitarian situation.
“We humbly call on the appropriate government agencies responsible for Implementing this presidential approval to expedite the immediate release and payment of the approved funds. This is not merely a financial obligation — it is a matter of justice, compassion, and national conscience. These men and women served Nigeria faithfully in their youth and deserve dignity and relief in the evening of their lives. Our members are aging, suffering, and sadly, many are dying by the day. We remain hopeful that the government will act swiftly to ensure that the approved payment is implemented without further delay”, Porbeni said.
Recall that following the liquidation of airline, negotiations were held between the airline unions and the Federal Government
It was agreed that all staff — both serving employees at the time of liquidation and existing pensioners – would receive a one-off severance settlement calculated to represent 15 years of each officer’s salary as a final
settlement of their benefits and emoluments.
The total agreed amount for this settlement was ₦78 billion. Over the years, successive administrations made partial payments toward this obligation as the outstanding balance stood at approximately ₦36 billion.
However, in June 2025, hope was rekindled when President Tinubu approved the payment of the outstanding ₦36 billion owed to the ex-staff and pensioners of the airline but almost one year after, the entitlements are yet to be released.
