Federal Govt Clears N18bn Nigeria Airways Severance For 2,700 Ex-Workers

The federal government has commenced the payment of N18billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,700 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways, more than two decades after the national carrier was liquidated.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday while briefing the press.

He said 2,100 former workers in batches one to seven had already been paid, while another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine had been cleared for payment.

“Altogether, this represents N18billion in benefits for 2,700 former workers,” he said.

The minister said some of the affected workers had grown old while waiting for their benefits, while others had died, leaving their families to pursue the outstanding entitlements.

“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,” Oyedele said.

Oyedele said the payment followed a directive by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the long-standing obligation.

According to him, although the settlement could not compensate for more than two decades of waiting, the government considered it necessary to resolve inherited obligations rather than allow them to linger.

“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,” he added.

Oyedele further said the exercise formed part of the government’s broader efforts to clear verified inherited obligations, including outstanding payments to pensioners and indigenous contractors.

The minister also warned contractors against paying commissions or inducements to government officials to facilitate payment of verified claims, describing such demands as illegal.