The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Airways Limited

  • Ex-Airways workers’ N700m benefits trapped in eight banks

    ABOUT N700million of the severance benefits of former workers of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) is trapped in eight banks, The Nation has learnt.

    The trapped cash may stall the final payment of the ex-workers’ benefits, which is slated for the first quarter of this year.

    The cash got trapped in the banks after it was mistakenly credited into the accounts of those who had earlier been paid.

    The banks, a source said, are refusing to pay out the cash to those yet to receive their benefits.

    Their refusal is delaying the government’s disbursement of the N22.5billion for the final payment of the outstanding benefits. The banks erroneously paid the money into the accounts of the former workers who had benefited from the first part-payment. ‘’The banks withheld the money but the government is insisting on its payment before it will release the balance,’’. the source said.

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    The Office of Accountant-General of the Federation (OGF) is said to be piqued over the banks’mistakes.

    Investigations showed that the payment was an error. It was part of the hitches identified after a  verification of the former workers.

    All efforts by the Accountant-General and the National Union of Pensioners’ (NUP) representatives to get the banks refund the money are not yielding results, the source added.

    While the OGF was said to be unhappy with the banks, the union representatives have given the banks one week ultimatum to return the money.

    The union has warned the banks to return the money by Friday or face  their wrath.

  • NASS approves N45b for ex- Nigeria Airways workers

    Fortune has  smiled on the  over four thousand workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited  as the National Assembly late Tuesday approved the final payment of their N45 billion severance benefits, The Nation has learnt.

    The signing of the final approval was the last assignment the lawmakers carried out before they embarked on a two months recess.

    The sudden approval may not be unconnected to the desire of the federal government to settle the former workers of the defunct carrier to pave the way for the seamless take off of the new national air, Nigeria Air in December.

    The leadership of the National Assembly, Bukola Saraki and his counterpart in the lower chamber, Yakubu Dogara were said to have taken pity on the former workers who have been subjected to years of agony in the hands of the previous governments who failed to pay them their final entitlements fourteen years after the unpopular liquidation of the defunct Nigeria Airways.

    According to sources, the ministry of finance officials has started holding crucial meeting to determine the payment procedure to be adopted.

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    Recall that the struggles for the payment of the former Airways workers commenced fourteen years ago after its liquidation during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    While the former workers of the fallen national carrier in Europe and America were almost immediately paid off by the same Obasanjo government for fear of running foul of the labour laws of the foreign countries, the former workers in Nigeria and Africa particularly those in Anglophone African countries were left in the cold.

    Since the struggle started, over two thousand of the former workers died with many others left in miserable situation.

    Respite however came their way when President Muhammadu Buhari through the minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika promised to pay them.

    Following the promise, the Federal Executive Council led by President  Buhari towards the end of 2017 ordered the release of the N45 billion for their entitlement.

    Though the FEC approval marked the beginning of another struggle for the former workers as the officials at the ministry of finance and the National Assembly engaged in bulk passing as to the whereabouts of the file.

    The former workers through the aviation unions had vowed to use their blood to frustrate the floating of another national carrier until they are paid their entitlements.

  • Ex- Nigeria Airways pensioners protest delay in payment of severance benefits

    Ex- Nigeria Airways pensioners protest delay in payment of severance benefits

    …Passengers miss flight over traffic disruption

    Former workers and pensioners of liquidated national carrier –  Nigeria Airways Limited on Tuesday staged a protest at the Lagos Airport over the delay by the Ministry of Finance in paying their N45 billion severance benefit.

    The former workers and pensioners numbering over one hundred blocked the busy Airport Road disrupting vehicular traffic.

    They marched from the Skypower Catering Company premises, one of the subsidiaries of the liquidated former carrier opposite the Nigeria Air Force Base to the section of the road leading into the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

    Singing solidarity songs they carried placards with inscriptions conveying their plight.

    Policemen attached to the airport were on hand to prevent break down of law and order.

    The blockage of the road, forced many passengers to get on motor bikes otherwise known as Okada , so avoid missing their flight.

    The ex – workers said they were disappointed that despite approval by the Federal Executive Council, seven months ago, the Ministry of Finance is yet to release their money.

    The ex-staff carried placards with different inscriptions principally targeted at the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun whom they accused of being insensitive to their plight for refusing to release their entitlements.

    The placards read: ” Mrs Kemi Adeosun: Do not delay this payment further, It is a crime against humanity, Madam MOF: Did you misappropriate our pension money?, Kemi Adeosun, We demand immediate payment of our pensions, Mrs. Adeosun: Enough of the Rigmarole- pay us Now, Mrs. Adeosun: Your actions and inactions are man’s inhumanity to man and so on. They also chanted solidarity songs and echoing the name of the minister at intervals.

    Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Airways Branch, Comrade Sam Nzene said the protest became necessary as he alleged that the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun was playing politics with their money.

    He explained that last year after the approval for payment was given, they were told that the ministry was ready to pay but were being delayed by the National Assembly as they were waiting for them to give the go ahead.

    Comrade Nzene added that to their surprise after a visit and discussions with the National Assembly, it was the Ministry that was dilly dally on the matter.

    “This is the third protest, we have been doing this since last year, even on December 19, last year, there was a protest in the Ministry of Finance when we shut down the place for  five hours and at the end of the day, they were called into a meeting and told that the National Assembly was holding our payment. This is the seventh month now after the FEC approved this payment”

    “Well, we went to National Assembly, we wrote to the senate president, we were told that there was nothing of the Nigeria Airways in the National Assembly that they have approved the money government sent to them for settlement of debts owed to civil servants and pensioners and contractors that these monies have been approved and released”.

    Comrade Nzene said many of their members have died while waiting for their pay package, adding early this year three of their members died.

    Also speaking, president, Aviation Union Grand Alliance, Comrade Lookman  Animashaun said they were tired of the bulk passing and insisted that the Minister of Finance should tell them why the payment was delaying.

    He noted that army pensioners have started collecting their benefits from the N2.7 trillion approved by the FEC and asked what was  delaying the payment of N45 billion accruing to them.

    “They are paying the salary arrears of army pensioners and contractors, were did they get money to pay those two, they should let us know, so to us, nothing is in the National Assembly because we have combed everywhere in the National Assembly, we have gone to the clerk, senate committee on aviation, appropriation, on pensioners, they said there was nothing like that and whatever they need to approve, they have done and that is why they are paying the other two components, the minister should come out and tell what the position is”.

    Three of the protesting staff collapsed during the protest and were immediately revived and taken away.

    Some families members of the ex-staff whose father/mother have died came clad in black clothes to show their support for the protest.

    Some of the placards read: ‘Adeosun: Enough of the rigmarole, pay us Now’, Mrs. Adeosun: Your actions and inactions are man’s inhumanity to man’, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun: Do not delay this payment further; it is a crime against humanity’, ‘Kemi Adeosun, we demand immediate payment of our pensions’ etc.

    However, he said findings showed that it was the ministry that is withholding the payment.

    It would be recalled that in September 2017, the minister of state for aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika announced the approval of N45 billion severance package for the Nigeria Airways workers.

    Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, September 20 after the weekly federal executive council meeting, Sirika said the minister of finance, Adeosun, had been instructed to put the machinery in place for payment of the workers.

    “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 the money. The ministry wrote…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 be paid through my ministry before somebody will say I take some of it. It will be paid by the ministry of finance through a process, and that process will commence very soon,’’ he said.

  • Nigeria Airways: TUC, ATSSSAN, others write Jonathan

    Nigeria Airways: TUC, ATSSSAN, others write Jonathan

    Former workers of liquidated national carrier Nigeria Airways Limited yesterday pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan to pay their outstanding 20 years severance benefits. Their colleagues who worked in other countries received  their benefits nine years ago, they said.

    The workers, who gathered for prayers yesterday at the secretariat of the AIr Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), along the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, under the aegis of Aviation Union Grand Alliance ( AUGA), mandated the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other unions to intimate the President about their plight.

    One of the union leaders, Comrade  Ibrahim Husseini,  said government will require about N70 billion to offset the outstanding severance benefits of the former workers and pensioners, which has been pending for the past nine years.

    He described, as gross insensitivity to the plight of ex- Nigeria Airways workers, government’s reluctance to pay the former workers, saying many of the workers have died due to lack of funds for medicare.