NUP demands immediate disbursement of N78bn pension for ex-Nigeria Airways workers

THE Nigerian union of Pensioners (NUP), Airways branch has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) to immediately begin the disbursement of the N78 billion for pensioners of the defunct Nigerian Airways Limited (NAL).

In a statement by its National Chairman, Comrade Sam Nzene, the pensioners said they are aware that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has given approval for the release of the money, but wondered why the fund was still trapped.

According to him, some of their members have died while waiting for the release of the funds. He lamented that there were 5,700 NAL pensioners and workers at the time of its liquidation, but regretted that many of them had died.

Nzene said the Federal Government had only paid the retirees five years pension arrears out of 25 years pension arrears.

He urged the government to pay the retired workers the outstanding pension arrears which has accumulated up to N78 billion

He said: “This issue has lingered for over 10 years now. Since the liquidation of Nigerian Airways, while the expatriate workers of Nigerian Airways were paid 25 years pension as payoff, their Nigerian counterparts were only paid five years.

“We call on President Buhari to look at the plight of our members and prevail on the Ministry of Finance to begin the immediate disbursement of the fund.”

The Nigeria Airways was liquidated in May 2003 by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, but the airline ceased to exist from September 13, 2004.

The ex-workers said it was sad that 13 years after, the ex-workers of the airline were still in the trenches fighting for payment of their entitlements.