N2.5bn Pension: Ex-Nigeria Airways workers get payment alerts, laud Buhari

Some former workers of the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, may have started getting their payment alert after the completion of their verification.

Daily Trust findings shows that those who received their payment between Monday and Wednesday were those who were verified last Monday.

The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), a department in the Ministry of Finance, had commenced the verification of the former Airways workers ahead of the disbursement of the N22.5bn approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The N22.5bn is the 50 percent of the N45bn being the total approved pension for the affected workers totalling about 6,000.

The verification is taking place in Lagos, Kano and Enugu.

There have been hitches and delays in the verification exercise with the affected workers decrying the slow pace of the exercise.

But Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, who reportedly visited some centres last week had assured that the government had approved the process and that those who have been verified would start receiving alerts this week.

Following her assurance, the beneficiaries have started smiling to banks after receiving alerts in millions of Naira.

One of the retirees, Mr. Chris Owamagbe, who spoke to newsmen at the venue of the verification in Lagos said some of his former colleagues in the airline received payment alerts on Tuesday night.

He said: “I can confirm to you that some of our colleagues have started receiving alerts. One of my friends in the admin staff of the airline, called me this morning to inform me that he had received payment alert.

“I believe once I am through with the processes, I will receive my own alert within few days. We are all anxious to receive the payments. We worked for it, but unfortunately someone used his political fiat to liquidate the airline. That singular decision pushed us to where we are today. But, I want to appreciate President Buhari for what he has done.”

Meanwhile, the President, Aviation Union Grand Alliance (AUGA), Engr. Lookman Animashaun, has commended President Buhari for fulfilling his promise of paying the retirees of Nigeria Airways.

Animashaun also lauded the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, for walking the talk with the presentation of Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) documents to Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

Animashaun said apart from the hiccups on the first day, the exercise has been going on smoothly.