The Nigeria Union of Pensioners has welcomed the Federal Government’s payment of N18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,700 former Nigeria Airways workers after more than two decades.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the Federal Government’s latest payment of N18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,700 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
The union described the payment as long-awaited relief for beneficiaries who have spent more than two decades awaiting their entitlements.
In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, the NUP said the intervention represented a response to longstanding appeals on behalf of former Nigeria Airways workers.
The Federal Government has confirmed the disbursement, saying N18 billion was paid to 2,700 former workers of the defunct national airline.
The payment is part of the government’s continuing effort to settle outstanding obligations arising from the liquidation of Nigeria Airways.
However, the latest payment has also generated a clarification over its history.
Former officials have disputed suggestions that the current administration was the first to commence payment of Nigeria Airways severance benefits, saying payments began under the administrations of former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari and have continued under successive governments.
The distinction is important in assessing the government’s latest intervention: while the Tinubu administration has released the latest tranche, the broader settlement process predates the current administration.
For the affected beneficiaries, however, the immediate significance is the release of funds owed to workers of the former national carrier.
The NUP said the payment represents an important step towards addressing the longstanding grievances of former Nigeria Airways employees.