FG Approves Pensions for Retired Nigeria Airways Workers After 22 Years
The Federal Government has approved the payment of pensions to retired workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways, ending a nearly 22-year wait for thousands of former employees.
The announcement was made on Tuesday via a statement shared by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on its official X (formerly Twitter) account. According to the NOA, the Ministry of Aviation confirmed that disbursement will begin soon, with a firm commitment to ensure transparency and fairness throughout the process.
The approval includes provisions for all eligible former staff of Nigeria Airways, which was wholly owned by the Federal Government and operated from 1958 until it was shut down in 2003 due to mismanagement, corruption, and mounting debts.
Following the airline’s closure, over 6,000 employees were left without their full pensions and gratuities. The decision to finally settle the payments comes after more than two decades of relentless advocacy by aviation unions demanding justice for the affected workers.
“The Federal Government has approved the long-awaited pensions for retired aviation workers, bringing long-overdue relief to thousands who served in the sector,” the NOA statement read in part. “The Ministry of Aviation confirmed that the payments will be processed soon, with a commitment to transparency.”
The development has been welcomed by stakeholders and union leaders, many of whom described it as a crucial step toward restoring dignity and rebuilding trust within the aviation sector.
In 2018, aviation unions—including the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE)—threatened to shut down Nigerian airspace over the government’s prolonged delay in releasing N45 billion in retirement entitlements.
The unions condemned the inaction and warned then-Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, that they would not remain silent while retirees continued to die without receiving their benefits. That same year, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved ₦22 billion for partial payment. However, union records showed that ₦36 billion remained unpaid, leaving many retirees in dire financial conditions.
In January 2025, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation threatened to withhold approval for the Ministry of Aviation’s budget unless it made adequate provisions for settling outstanding entitlements to the former workers of Nigeria Airways.