More than 12 years after they were laid off following the liquidation of the national carrier, Nigerian Airways, the staff, are to be paid their entitlements.
The federal government has approved the release of N45 billion to pay the entilements of the personnel affected by the liquidation in 2005.
The government regretted the deaths of some workers of the defunct airline occasioned by the delay in the payment of their entitlements.
The defunct national carrier was liquidated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime in 2005, and the workers had been embarking on protests nationwide over their unpaid entitlements.
Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, told State House correspondents after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), that N45 billion had been approved for the settlement of the ex-workers’ entitlements.
“Governments, in the past, decided just to liquidate Nigerian airways without tending to the issue of the entitlements of the workers and they have been struggling to get that paid and we came in government and we 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 and the ministry has written to me last week, to say 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 pay 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,’’ he said.
