The Federal Government has paid outstanding severance benefits to 2,100 former workers of Nigeria Airways Limited, more than two decades after the national carrier was liquidated.
The Federal Ministry of Finance said the payments covered beneficiaries in Batches 1 to 7, representing severance benefits owed to the affected former employees.
According to the ministry, another 600 beneficiaries in Batches 8 and 9 are being finalised and are expected to receive their payments within days.
The development will bring the total number of former Nigeria Airways workers covered by the exercise to 2,700, with a combined payment of ₦18 billion across the nine batches.
For the former workers and their families, the payment is expected to provide relief after years of uncertainty over their outstanding entitlements.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier approved the settlement of the outstanding severance obligations and directed the government to bring the longstanding matter to an end.
The Finance Ministry said the President’s intervention provided the impetus for the government to resolve the obligation, while processes for identifying eligible beneficiaries, validating records and determining the financial liabilities were undertaken under the supervision of Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele.
Oyedele said the payment reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing legitimate outstanding obligations and prioritising the welfare of Nigerians.
“Behind these figures are people and families who have waited for years to receive what is legitimately due to them,” the minister said.
“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.”
He said the exercise demonstrated what could be achieved when government institutions worked together to resolve longstanding issues.
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According to him, the government would continue to ensure that legitimate beneficiaries receive their approved entitlements while maintaining safeguards to protect public funds.
The ministry also acknowledged the role played by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in sustaining engagement with the Finance Ministry towards resolving the matter.
The National Assembly Joint Committees on Aviation were also credited with contributing to the process through their oversight and engagement.
The ministry specifically mentioned the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba, for their involvement in advancing the settlement of the former workers’ benefits.
The payment process involved extensive verification of beneficiaries, including biometric capture and validation of personal and banking information to ensure that payments were made to the rightful recipients.
Meanwhile, the government is preparing a second phase of the exercise, described as a mop-up exercise, to accommodate eligible beneficiaries whose records could not be processed during the first phase.
The Director in charge of the Presidential Initiative and Continuous Audit (PICA) Department, Seldam Dangin, said the mop-up exercise would focus on updating inaccurate or outdated information, conducting additional biometric verification where necessary and correcting banking details.
The exercise will also address cases involving deceased beneficiaries. In such cases, next of kin or estates will be required to complete the necessary verification and legal processes before payments can be made.
The mop-up exercise is expected to begin by the end of September or early October, subject to final arrangements.
The Federal Ministry of Finance said the commencement of payments to the first seven batches, alongside the readiness of Batches 8 and 9, represented a major step towards resolving the severance obligations owed to former Nigeria Airways workers.
The planned mop-up exercise is expected to provide an opportunity for unresolved cases to be addressed and for more eligible beneficiaries to be brought into the payment process.
