2,100 ex-Nigeria Airways workers receive severance payments

The federal government says it has begun paying ₦18bn in outstanding severance benefits to former Nigeria Airways workers, more than two decades after the national carrier was liquidated.

In a statement on Friday, the finance ministry said 2,100 beneficiaries in the first seven batches had received payments. Payments for another 600 people in batches eight and nine were being finalised and were expected in the coming days.

The exercise follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval to settle outstanding severance obligations to the former workers.

The finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the payments addressed obligations to people whose entitlements had remained unpaid for years.

He said the government had a responsibility to complete the required checks and ensure beneficiaries received their money once funding became available.

Oyedele said cooperation between government institutions had helped advance the process, while safeguards remained necessary to protect public funds.

According to the ministry, beneficiaries underwent verification, including biometric checks and validation of personal and banking details, before payments were authorised.

Seldam Dangin, the director responsible for the Presidential Initiative and Continuous Audit department, said a second verification exercise was being prepared for eligible former workers whose records could not be processed during the first phase.

The exercise would allow beneficiaries to update inaccurate or outdated information, correct banking details and undergo further biometric checks where necessary.

It would also cover deceased beneficiaries, whose next of kin or estates must complete the required verification and legal procedures before receiving payment.

The ministry said the exercise was expected to begin in late September or early October, subject to final arrangements.

It acknowledged the contribution of the aviation and aerospace development minister, Festus Keyamo, and the National Assembly’s aviation committees in helping resolve the outstanding claims.

The ministry also credited the Senate aviation committee, chaired by Abdulfatai Buhari, and its House of Representatives counterpart, chaired by Abdullahi Idris Garba, for their oversight and engagement.

It said the next verification phase would provide a further opportunity to resolve outstanding cases and include eligible beneficiaries who had yet to receive their entitlements.