The federal government may have additional crisis to contend with anytime from now should the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) go ahead to close the defunct Nigeria Airways former workers register over the claim that all the workers had been paid their final entitlements.
It was alleged last week that PICA might close down the register of the ex-Nigeria Airways staff having been fully paid their benefits 18 years after the controversial liquidation of the former national carrier.
A top member of Nigeria Airways’ Pensioners was quoted to have confirmed that his colleagues had all been paid, saying: “We have been cleared; everybody has been paid the amount due to him or her. We don’t have a problem again.
“Everybody has been paid. By this month end, we are winding up everything about Nigeria Airways. We have almost exhausted the remaining 50 percent of funds budgeted for the second phase. The few people remaining are less than 20.
The declaration of PICA to wind down the ex-Nigeria Airways workers’ register this month has created tension amongst the rank and file of the former workers as information just emerged that contrary to the news that the former workers had been fully paid, there are still over 1,000 of them that are yet to receive their entitlements.
Many of the outstanding 1,000 who are mostly Nigerians according to information gathered are spread across U.S., UK, Canada, West Coast and other countries including Nigeria.
Confirming the situation, a staunch member of the pensioners in the defunct airline, Comrade Adekunle Oyewo, said though he had been fully paid, not all workers had been paid.
From all indications, PICA, the committee in charge of the payment of the former workers are economical with the truth and any attempt to wind down the transaction books of the workers without settling others will surely create embarrassment for the government.
Presently, the ex-workers who are yet to be paid are threatening to seek redress in the court of law to enforce the government to pay them their benefits eighteen years after their source of livelihood was suddenly shut down.
Without doubt, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will not be forgotten for bringing smiles on the faces of the ex-Airways workers in Nigeria who were neglected by the previous administration.
It is on record that while the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who approved the liquidation of the former national carrier in 2003 wasted no time in settling the foreign workers of the airline across Europe and America for fear of violating the labour laws of the countries, the workers in Nigeria and West Coast were humiliated for over one decade before the Buhari administration finally had pity on them.
Many of the ex-workers did not live to enjoy the fruit of their labour, while many were turned to ghosts of themselves as they waited hopelessly for their entitlements until Buhari approved the payment in two installments.
This good gesture of the present government which saved thousands of families of the ex-workers from further humiliation should be concluded on a humanitarian note and not otherwise.
Therefore, PICA the committee saddled with this responsibility should not rock the boat. All the exAirways workers deserve the fruit of their labour having worked all their lives for this national carrier before it was buried.
Whatever it takes must be explored to ensure justice and fair play and PICA has no reason rushing to shut down its responsibility until the last person is paid. Failure to do this is surely an invitation to chaos which may end up rubbishing the good deeds of the present government.
There should be no confusion about the payment of the remaining ex-workers since adequate fund has been earmarked for the national project and since government has been magnanimous to the ex-workers, PICA should not bend the wheels.
Any attempt to do otherwise will not only add to the challenges of the government, but further tarnish the image of the country in the area of its labour law and credibility before the global community.
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