FG approves payment of Nigeria Airways staff
- Federal government has approved the entitlements of the Nigeria Airways staff
- The national carrier was liquidated in 2005 but the staff entitlements was not paid
- The staff took to the street to protest their unpaid allowances on Wednesday, September 20
The minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika, said on Wednesday that the federal government has approved the payment of N45billion severance package to former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
The national carrier was liquidated by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 2005, and the workers had been embarking on protests nationwide over their unpaid entitlements.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sirika told State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that money has been approved for the settlement of the entitlements.
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He said: “Governments, in the past, decided just to liquidate Nigeria Airways without tending to the issue of the entitlements of the workers and they have been struggling to get that paid. We came in and took it very seriously.
“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 to me last week 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 finance through a process, and that process will commence very soon."
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The minister disclosed that the council approved the procurement of operational vehicles for Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that thousands of former workers of Nigeria Airways on Wednesday, September 13, took to the streets to protest the delay of their over N78billion severance benefits.
There were reports that the staff were particularly worried that its been over one year since the amount was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari but yet to be paid.
They pleaded with the president to compel the ministries of transportation and finance to expedite action on the disbursement.
Watch this Legit.ng TV video of local government employees stage massive protest in Lagos:
Source: Legit.ng
