FG Pays N4.25bn to 600 More Nigeria Airways Pensioners
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has paid ₦4.25 billion in outstanding pension and severance benefits to another 600 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited, raising the total number of beneficiaries paid so far to 3,300 across 11 batches.
Mrs. Efe Ovuakporie, Head of Media at the Federal Ministry of Finance, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday. She said the latest payment covers Batches 010 and 011 and amounts to ₦4,251,043,000.19 in gross benefits.
“The latest payment, covering Batches 010 and 011, amounts to ₦4,251,043,000.19 in gross benefits. It extends the settlement of outstanding entitlements associated with the defunct national carrier to more eligible beneficiaries,” Mrs. Ovuakporie said.
According to the statement, the first nine batches covered 2,700 beneficiaries. The new payment brings in another 600 people, which takes the total number of beneficiaries paid to 3,300.
The money will bring relief to many pensioners and their families who have waited for years to receive what is owed them for their service to the former national airline. The Ministry said the payment also shows progress in settling long-standing debts owed to eligible beneficiaries.
Nigeria Airways, which was the country’s national carrier, stopped operating many years ago. Since then, thousands of its former workers have been waiting for their pension and severance entitlements to be settled.
The Ministry added that its verification and validation exercise for the next of kin of former Nigeria Airways workers is still going on. The exercise is meant to confirm who is qualified to receive payment and to check each claim against approved records, so that outstanding benefits can be paid to the right people.
The Ministry said it will continue to process verified claims in line with approved procedures, to make sure that payments reach only eligible beneficiaries.
The statement described the latest payment as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to settle verified claims left over from the past and to make sure that eligible beneficiaries receive what is due to them.
It also said the payment is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to resolve long-standing obligations and give financial relief to affected families.
