As Tinubu Puts Smile on Faces of Ex-Nigeria Airways Workers, After 22 Years Wait…

President Bola Tinubu has etched his name in the hearts of the children and other relatives of the workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited, who were owed for several years, long after the national airline was shut down in 2003 and liquidated in 2004. Chinedu Eze captures the agony of waiting and the succour of the President.

President Bola Tinubu has restored hope to the hopeless and elongated the lifespan of the now old former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) with the commencement of payment of N18 billion, which is the outstanding severance benefits of 2,700 staff of the airline.

In the hey days of Nigeria Airways Limited, the workers of the airline were part of the creme de la crème of the society. Most of them were cosmopolitan. The pilots, the cabin crew, the station managers and others had traversed most parts of the world. They had blossoming career; until the performance of the national airline began to nosedive.

The Background

The airline which was established in 1958, as offspring of West African Airways Nigeria Limited reached its apogee in the mid 1980s before endemic corruption and bad management literally castrated it, prompting its liquidation by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 2004.

Following the liquidation of the airline, thousands of workers held nationwide protests and spent years demanding their payouts. Sadly, many of the former employees reached old age or passed away during the over two decade delay, leaving their families to continue the pursuit of their entitlements.

The workers started rolling in the pains of waiting for their benefits. It has been a very long wait. The wait descended to despair. All hope was lost. The invisible thread of optimism had evaporated. There was blank hopelessness and frustration that enveloped these 22 years. It was at the threshold of giving up that President Tinubu’s help came.

Yes, many have died while they waited. In September 2017, the strident protest of the workers prompted the Federal Executive Council under President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the release of ₦45 billion for their entitlements, but bureaucratic delays and funding challenges prevented the actual disbursement from happening that year.

But in 2018, following intense labor pressure, the government finally released  50% partial payment of ₦22.68 billion late that year to begin settling the retirees. The remaining ₦18 billion outstanding balance is officially being paid out by the federal government to 2,700 former workers across nine batches, finally closing the book on their decades-long struggle.

The Agony

Former workers of the defunct airline and their leaders have shared heartbreaking stories of extreme poverty, untreated illnesses, and untimely deaths while waiting over two decades for their unpaid severance and pension benefits.

The final liquidation of the airline in 2004 left thousands of employees without income. Many could no longer afford basic needs like food, shelter, or school fees for their children. Elderly retirees suffered from chronic health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and strokes. They could not afford hospital bills or proper medicines.

Union leaders reported that nearly 2,000 former workers died over the 20-year wait. In one tragic week alone, seven pensioners passed on due to lack of medical care.

 The long-term frustration caused severe mental stress and depression. Some elderly staff even went missing or suffered permanent physical disabilities from untreated strokes.

But Tinubu became the Deus ex machina who came to give hope to the hopeless; who brought victory at the nadir of prolonged defeat. Many of the beneficiaries referred to him as god-sent. The also commended Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who facilitated the process.

Confirmation

So, last week, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) confirmed the payment. Reports indicated that Nigeria Airways Limited was liquidated in 2004 by the administration of former President Obasanjo contrary to the recommendation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group which opted for privatisation option.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele who briefed newsmen in Abuja, disclosed that 2,100 former employees had been paid.

Another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine had been cleared for payment, he said, adding that “altogether, this represents N18 billion in benefits for 2,700 former workers.”

Oyedele explained that payments were being made in batches to avoid already verified beneficiaries to continue waiting while outstanding claims were being validated. The benefits, he added, covered different categories of former Nigeria Airways employees, devoid of distinction between junior and senior workers.

On beneficiaries who died before receiving their entitlements, the Minister said payments would be made to their documented next of kin or other beneficiaries after the required legal processes had been completed.

According to Oyedele, some of the affected workers were already old while waiting for their benefits, while others died, leaving their families to pursue the outstanding entitlements.

He explained, “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.”

President’s Rescue

The Minister attributed the payment to a directive by President Tinubu to resolve the long-standing obligation.

He noted that although the severance benefits could not compensate for the over two decades-long waiting endured by the beneficiaries, the federal 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 said.

The Minister apologised to the former employees of NAL for the long delay before their entitlements were settled, noting that the payments were entitlements rather than favours from the government.

He further explained that the settlement was part of the government’s broader efforts to clear verified inherited obligations, including outstanding payments to pensioners and indigenous contractors.

Oyedele stated that the payment to the defunct airline employees was preceded by extensive verification, including biometric capture and validation of personal and banking information, to prevent fraudulent claims.

According to him, further verification would be undertaken to address cases involving outdated information, incorrect bank details and deceased beneficiaries who’s next of kin or estates were required to complete the relevant processes.

However, the Minister noted that government was settling the obligations based on the amounts documented and verified, in response to a question on whether or not the payments had been adjusted to factor in the current inflation after over 20 years.

Stakeholders Appreciation

Stakeholders in the aviation industry under the aegis of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI)  has commended the administration of President Tinubu, and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for addressing the delayed payment of the retirement benefits of the ex-workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited who have been subjected to over two decades of agonising neglect following the airline’s abrupt liquidation in April, 2003.

‘While we are appreciative of the government’s responsiveness to the plight of these unfairly treated citizens, we further request that the entitlements of the remaining living and deceased staff be promptly paid to them and their respective families, to ensure fairness and equal treatment for all  senior citizens of Nigeria, the body said in a statement signed by its President, Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (rtd) .

It recalled that the Nigeria Airways was the proud national carrier and a symbol of the nation’s collective sovereignty. The body noted that the men and women who worked there were dedicated professionals who served with unwavering zeal, trusting that the nation they contributed to build would care for them in their golden years.

“The federal government is further requested to kindly conclude the process of payment of these senior citizens to end their avoidable sufferings and loss of lives,” it added.

In reaction to President Tinubu’s benevolence, the former workers of Nigeria Airways and their families have expressed relief after waiting for more than 20 years for entitlements following the airline’s liquidation under the Obasanjo administration.

Some said they had lost hope that the benefits would be paid again. Some believed that the payment had been mired in politics and would never be realized, but President Tinubu has surprised them.

Former worker of Nigeria Airways Limited, Kyari Ayuba, who commended government for finally paying the former staff of the airline, said many have died but for survivors, the announcement of the payment brought relief to them.

It also brought grief, as they grieved that many of their colleagues had not lived long enough to see the benefits

“We are counting over 700 people that have actually died, yes, and a good number of people are severely ill as we are talking,” Ayuba said

He said the timing of the payment met some retirees at the very end of their wait.

“Despite the fact that they started paying, you find that some people just collected their money and died the following day or within two days because of sicknesses that have ravaged their bodies,” he added.

But despite this; the beneficiaries are grateful to the federal government under the Tinubu administration, which dusted their file from Keep In View and chose to act on it to end the saga of non-payment of the ex-workers of Nigeria Airways Limited.