NAMA defends pension liabilities, outlines workforce reforms

Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has defended its handling of retirees’ outstanding entitlements, insisting that the current management inherited the pension-related liabilities from previous administrations and has since initiated measures toward resolution.

In a statement issued on Friday, signed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, NAMA described recent allegations against the management under the leadership of the Managing Director, Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar, as misleading and lacking proper understanding of the bureaucratic processes associated with public sector financial obligations.

The agency stated that it should not be blamed for the retirees’ pension challenge because the issue predates its tenure.

ALSO READ: How to Check If Your WAEC Result Has Been Uploaded to JAMB CAPS

According to the statement, renewed administrative attention and official approvals for the settlement process were secured under the current leadership following engagements with relevant stakeholders and representatives of retirees.

NAMA explained that payment processes within government institutions require strict compliance with statutory procedures, including documentation, administrative vetting, budgetary appropriations, and regulatory approvals before disbursement can be effected.

The agency further argued that portraying procedural delays as deliberate neglect was unfair and could misrepresent realities within the organisation.

Emphasising further, the statement explained that “However, responsible governance within the public sector requires strict compliance with statutory procedures involving documentation, budgetary appropriations, administrative vetting, and government approvals before final disbursement can be effected.

“Any attempt to deliberately ignore these procedural realities and portray them as neglect is both unfair and misleading.

“Beyond the retirees’ issue, the current management has implemented some of the most far-reaching staff welfare reforms witnessed in the agency in recent years.

“Under Engr. Farouk’s leadership, NAMA successfully implemented the Staff Conditions of Service in full — an achievement that eluded several previous administrations despite years of agitation by workers,” the statement added.

Beyond pension matters, the management highlighted what it described as significant workforce reforms and institutional restructuring initiatives implemented in recent years.

The agency noted that under Engr. Farouk’s leadership, NAMA successfully implemented the Staff Conditions of Service in full, a development it said several previous administrations were unable to achieve despite prolonged labour agitation.

It also disclosed that a new salary structure had recently been approved and implemented for staff, resulting in improved remuneration, enhanced welfare packages, and higher employee morale across operational departments.

According to NAMA, the reforms are aimed at repositioning the agency as a professionally competitive air navigation service provider capable of sustaining operational efficiency and technical excellence within Nigeria’s aviation industry.