THE Federal Government has approved N45 billion to settle the outstanding payments owed the workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa.
He was with Ministers of Information (Lai Mohammed), Labour (Chris Ngige) and Health (Isaac Adewole).
According to Sirika, Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun has been given directive to make the payment.
The workers had staged protests against the over 20 years’ debt.
Sirika said: “Governments, in the past, decided just to liquidate Nigerian Airways without tending to the issue of the entitlements of the workers and they have been struggling to get them paid and we came in government and we took it very seriously.
“I’m happy to announce that Mr President has approved N45 billion, which has been confirmed to be the entitlements of these workers and Ministry of Finance has been instructed to pay and the ministry has written to me last week, to say that they have received the instruction to pay these workers, and therefore, they are setting up the modalities to pay.
“You should know it won’t pay through my ministry before somebody will say I take some of it. It will be paid by finance through a process, and that process will commence very soon.”
He said the council approved the procurement of operational vehicles for Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
According to him, he also briefed the council on the certifications of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Both certificates, he said, were huge achievements toward security and safety in the aviation sector.
He noted that the airport was the first international Airport in Nigeria to meet the requirement by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and NCAA regulations.
On Aviation’s workers opposition to the concessioning of the nation’s airports, the minister said the process would be transparently carried out, saying that the workers would also be engaged in the process.
Sirika, who dismissed social media reports that he “stole or intend to spend N635 million” on the concessioning project, said the workers in the aviation sector would be actively involved in the process so as to address labour issues in the process.
Stressing that the concession of the airports would continue in line with the policy of the administration, he said: “We don’t have the money to invest and develop these airports. In our opinion as a government and the policy has been done that we will go through concession to give some individuals who would build; who would operate; who would maintain, sustain, make money and government will also make money in the process and return back to government after certain number of years (20 to 25 years).”
Sirika added that the concession of the nation’s airports had since been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the FEC.