THE former workers of the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, may soon have cause to smile as indications have just emerged that efforts are on top gear to ensure the payment of the final batch of their benefits.
Information flittered out early in the week of the ongoing move by the Federal Government to offset the outstanding N22.6 billion representing the remaining 50 per cent terminal benefits for the over 3,500 former workers of the collapsed national carrier.
The first batch of the final entitlement amounting to a little above N22 billion was paid 2018, 15 years after the airline was controversially liquidated.
According to information gathered, the Minister of finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has started putting finishing touches to ensure payment of the balance.
Some representatives of ex-workers of Nigeria Airways acting on behalf of affected ex-workers had paid several visits to the ministry of finance, budget and national planning Abuja Office last week to follow up on the payment.
Confirming the development, Chairman, Nigeria Airways pensioners, Sam Nzene, declared: “The minister is active, very active on payment plan. In fact arrangement to offset the balance is at the conclusive end stage. It’s a matter of weeks, not months any longer. Recall the payment, I mean the balance of 50 per cent ought to have been paid since last year. But you know so many other things cropped up, and the biggest of them all, COVID-19 set in. The minister is working assiduously to making sure the payment comes to us without further delay”.
The defunct national carrier was liquidated under a controversial circumstance in 2003 by the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
While the former workers in Europe and America were almost immediately paid off their full entitlements, the Nigerian workers and those in the West African Coast were subjected to physical and psychological torture by the subsequent governments until late President Umaru Yar’Adua paid part of the entitlement.
Great relief finally came with the resolve of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government to pay them in two installments.
The first batch of N22.6 billion was paid in 2018 with a promise to pay the balance not quite long after.
The total package of retirement benefits of the ex- workers was put at N43 billion as against the N45billion earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2018.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
COVID-19: FG directs civil servants on levels 12, 13 to resume
The Federal Government has directed civil servants on Grade Levels 12 and 13 to return to work immediately. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSCF), Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, gave the directive in a circular dated August 10, 2020, where she similarly directed those on essential duties to resume full duties. Since the initial lockdown measures over the COVID-19 pandemic, only workers on Grade Level 14 and above had been allowed to work…
UPDATE: Why Boko Haram recruit more members ― North-East governors
Following the recent attack on the convoy of Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, six governors of the northeast states and heads of security agencies have met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, with the state chief executives disclosing that insurgents are able to recruit more followers because of lack of access to farmlands…
Deregistration of political parties: INEC approaches Supreme Court
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last night gave an indication that it would approach the apex court to set aside the judgment of the appeal court which overruled it on the delisting of political parties. The electoral umpire had delisted 77 political parties after the 2019 general elections. It premised its action on the failure of the parties to win a single seat in the last elections…
ASUU set to present alternate salary payment platform to FG
After months of opposition to the implementation of the Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to make an initial presentation of its own platform known as University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to the Federal Government…
and then