Aviation workers in Nigeria are urging President Bola Tinubu to facilitate the payment of outstanding entitlements to former employees of Nigeria Airways. The Joint Consultative and Negotiating Council (JCNC) made this appeal at the 11th edition of the Aviation Workers’ Week and Award Night in Abuja.
The JCNC Chairman, Comrade Hector Nnadi, stated that despite multiple attempts to secure payment through the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, no progress has been made. This issue has been ongoing since 2018, when aviation workers’ unions threatened to shut down airspace and halt flight operations in protest against the Federal Government’s refusal to pay ₦45 billion in pensions and gratuities owed to former Nigeria Airways employees.
In 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved ₦22 billion as part of the ₦45 billion owed to the former workers. However, records indicate that ₦36 billion remains unpaid, leading to financial difficulties for many, with some ex-aviation workers passing away while waiting for their entitlements.
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation has also threatened to withhold approval of the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development unless provisions are made for the payment of the former Nigeria Airways employees.
Nnadi appealed to President Tinubu to settle the outstanding debt and provide relief to the affected retirees, acknowledging the tireless efforts of aviation workers and the dedication of the former Nigeria Airways employees.
h097ka